Potter County Today
Some eye-opening statistics on the local drug epidemic were shared during a
presentation to Potter County Commissioners Doug Morley, Paul Heimel and Susan
Kefover. Colleen Wilber, director of drug and alcohol services for the county,
confirmed that abuse of opiods – including heroin – has eclipsed alcohol in
referrals to her agency. She hastened to add that alcohol abuse remains a
serious problem. There has been a significant increase in heroin overdoses in
Potter County, some of them fatal, Wilber said.
She pointed out that a larger proportion of clients than ever, some 89
percent, are being referred by the criminal justice system for addiction
assessment and treatment. Other are through self-reporting or being referred by
Children and Youth Services. While opioid use and abuse is pervasive, she added,
her office has noticed an increase in the diagnosis of methamphetamine as a
primary drug of choice, as well as a consistent rate of chronic marijuana use.
Wilber detailed a series of steps her agency and the court system have been
taking to address addiction issues, ranging from treatment courts and
evidenced-based school programs, to prescription take-back boxes and making more
effective use of data collection and analysis.
