The 2022 Chester County Color 5K, held in October, raised $120,000 for the county's Community Outreach Prevention and Education (COPE) program to help in the battle against opioid and heroin addiction. County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline presented a check to Jamie Johnson, director of the county's Department of Drug & Alcohol Services (D&A), at the Dec. 15 commissioners' meeting.

COPE provides 24/7 support to overdose survivors and their families at hospital emergency rooms throughout the county. Trained peer specialists make a personal connection with survivors in the emergency room and encourage them to enter treatment immediately following discharge from the hospital. The program also supplies information about overdose prevention and outreach to first responders, hospital staff and the families of overdose survivors. Kichline's efforts to address the opioid and heroin epidemic led to the introduction of the Color 5K in 2016.

In addition to COPE, Chester County addresses the opioid crisis through its Overdose Prevention Task Force, which was formed in 2015. The mission of the task force is to prevent overdose deaths in Chester County through a multidisciplinary, coordinated effort between government departments, community organizations, and treatment providers. The task force is led by the Chester County Departments of D&A, Health, and Human Services; the District Attorney's Office; and Good Fellowship Ambulance and EMS Training Institute.

In addition to the COPE Program, Chester County introduced the Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative (LETI), started by the District Attorney's Office in conjunction with D&A in early 2022. LETI is a collaborative effort between law enforcement and substance use treatment providers to save lives and reduce crime and recidivism. It provides an alternative option to law enforcement, providing treatment instead of punishment for people with substance use disorder who commit low-level, non-violent crimes. Individuals can also contact a member of law enforcement to ask for a referral or to be connected to treatment with no threat of arrest or prosecution.

Anyone who is struggling or has a loved one who is struggling with a substance use disorder may call the Drug & Alcohol Information and Referral number at 866-286-3767 or Get Help Now, a 24/7 hotline, at 800-662-4357.

To learn more about Chester County's Overdose Prevention Task Force, visit https://stopodchesco.org/.