State Initiative For Substance Abuse Problems Grows To Focus On Treatment, Not Court

Harrisburg PA

14 May, 2022

9:17 PM

Description

By NCPA Staff, NorthCentralPA.com May 14, 2022 Elk County is the latest Pa. county to enter into an agreement that will allow residents seeking treatment for addiction to use local law enforcement as a resource to contact participating treatment facilities. The Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Initiative (PA LETI) was developed by State Attorney General Josh Shapiro in conjunction with law enforcement agencies to assist residents suffering from substance abuse issues in enrolling in treatment programs. Fifteen counties have joined the program so far, including Bradford, Columbia, Northumberland, and Snyder Counties. "We lose 14 Pennsylvanians a day to the opioid epidemic," said Shapiro, "Connecting individuals to the treatment they need will save lives, make our communities stronger, and help minimize the stigma associated with substance use disorder." Individuals seeking treatment can use sheriffs, police officers, probation officers, and parole officers as resource. Officers may provide information on treatment facilities and will even assist in providing transportation to those facilities. In Elk County, individuals can contact a member of law enforcement at any time to ask for a referral or to be connected to treatment with no threat of arrest or prosecution. This policy also includes the ability for law enforcement to connect individuals to treatment at their discretion. This initiative is to help those suffering from substance abuse to avoid the criminal justice system, instead getting them into treatment. "Elk County is now poised to take this step into the future," District Attorny Coppolo said. "Drug addiction is not going away, but hopefully by trying treatment before prosecution in appropriate cases we will be able to help people overcome their need for drugs, and avoid their interaction with the courts." NorthcentralPa.com provides the region with reliable, relevant, and real-time news, covering weather, community news and events, crime, police activity, local, regional, and national alerts, and PennDOT-reported road construction and conditions. We report on local and regional politics, offer a platform for nonprofits to report their news and events, and share obituaries. Scanner reports let readers know what's happening outside their homes the minute it happens.