HARRISBURG – The Center for Rural Pennsylvania will study the impact of the heroin and opioid addiction crisis during a public hearing in Beaver County on June 2, according to Senators Camera Bartolotta (R-46) and Elder Vogel (R-47).
The hearing will be held at The Fez in Aliquippa from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Testimony will be offered by experts in the medical field, drug and alcohol program directors, local district attorneys, school superintendents and other community leaders.
The June 2 event will be the Center’s tenth hearing over the past two years on the drug addiction crisis in Pennsylvania.
“The impact of this public health problem is truly staggering, and it is critical to delve further into the issues that have led to this crisis in order to find a solution,” Bartolotta said. “I am thankful that the Center for Rural Pennsylvania is taking a closer look at the local impact of this crisis as we work to prevent drug addiction from claiming even more victims.”
“We continue to see dramatic increases in overdose cases in our region. Western Pennsylvania is a gateway for heroin and other illegal drugs coming from the Midwest on their way to Pittsburgh and across Pennsylvania,” Vogel said. “The availability and relative low cost of heroin certainly have made it a public safety concern for our communities and it is important that we all work together to address this issue.
CONTACT: Colleen Greer (717) 787-1463 (Senator Bartolotta)
Anthony Tammaro (724) 654-1444 (Senator Vogel)