Last year, Todd Zimmerman, an adjunct professor at LCCC, watched a "60 Minutes" segment on the rural heroin epidemic.

He was taken aback at just how familiar his students were with Tamaqua's own heroin problem.He gathered a panel of State and local medical professionals, law enforcement officers, and other experts in the field of opioid addiction at a town hall style meeting and tried to start finding answers to the problem.One year later, members of the original panel gathered again to discuss the progress that has been made and the obstacles that are still standing in their way. About 30 members of the public, including representatives from Safer Streets for Tamaqua's Little Feet, the Tamaqua Faith and Fellowship Networks, and the STEP Up organization were in attendance.Dr. Ernest Scully, a Jim Thorpe native, and the director of CareNow in Jim Thorpe, provided a brief history of how the opioid crisis moved from prescription drugs in the late 1980s and 1990s to heroin, and other powerful drugs like fentanyl.Scully said doctors treating pain underestimated the addictive potential for drugs like OxyContin.Dr. Rachel Levine, the physician general for Pennsylvania, echoed Scully's comments, calling it a "perfect storm" and "the biggest health care crisis we face."Levine reminded the audience that it took 20-30 years to develop this problem and there is "no quick fix."She also said that although all of the statistics aren't in for 2016 yet, she expects that the big picture may get worse before it will get better.She highlighted the broader availability and distribution of naloxone (Narcan) as one improvement that she credits with saving 3,064 lives in the last year.A standing order prescription for naloxone has been available for both first responders and the general public since 2015, however, the cost of the drug can be prohibitive, especially for small, rural basic life support services that run on a shoestring budget.Levine said that Gov. Tom Wolf has asked for $10 million in the state budget to make sure that all first responders have access to the drug.Levine said that most chain pharmacies now carry naloxone and it is available to the general public."This is necessary, but it's not enough," Levine said.Levine also outlined a new policy being instituted in emergency rooms called the "warm hand off.""If someone had a heart attack, we don't hand them a card and say, maybe next week, you should see a cardiologist. We send them to the cardiac unit," he said."We need to treat this the same way and get them the life-saving treatment they need."Levine explained that in a situation where naloxone is used, a representative from the county must be called and must meet the patient, and their family members, at the hospital.From there, they will try to get the patient into the treatment that they need.She said that this program is still in its early stages, but will hopefully be expanded to rural hospitals."Addiction is a medical condition; it is not a moral failing. It needs a medically based treatment, counseling, therapy. Treatment does work, it's difficult, but recovery is possible," she concluded.In the courtsJudge James Goodman of Schuylkill County and Judge Joseph Matika of Carbon County were on hand to discuss changes in the way law enforcement handles drug-related offenses.In Schuylkill County, a drug court started in January 2017.Goodman said that most of the past year was spent traveling to other courts and seeing what other communities had developed, raising money and trying to determine what program would work best for Schuylkill County.Goodman said that the drug court has established a phased program that begins with a treatment program. Thirteen people are currently in the program. "These people would be in jail if they didn't do this," Goodman said.Out of the 13, seven are still in the long-term treatment program. Five people were in short term treatment and have moved into the next phase of the program. One person is going to outpatient counseling."It's not an easy program," Goodman said. "It's a 14-month program, and that's if everything is done perfectly. We want these people to be healthy and to be successful."Goodman attributed the low number to the recent start of the program. "Hopefully, in future years, I can tell you how many have completed our program."After successful completion of the program, Goodman said offenders can get all charges against them dropped, or even expunged. The county is pursuing more funding options to help support and expand the program.Matika described a similar program in Carbon County, one that is geared toward helping military veterans who are dealing with substance abuse issues. "When we looked at what kind of court we needed, one that would be cost effective for us, we had over 200 individuals in the county probation system who have served in the military," he said. "They deserve our help."Matika said, "Those who have served in the military have a warrior mentality. They're afraid or ashamed to ask for help and many of the problems that they are dealing with have come about because of their service."Matika said six participants are in the program now, with eight more in the process of becoming eligible. He anticipates having 25-30 people in the program in the future.Although several people in attendance seemed discouraged by low numbers like 6 and 13, both judges said that since the programs had just gotten up and running in January, those numbers will go up in the future.When Levine was questioned about more statistical information regarding overdose and recovery rates, she responded, "Whatever the statistic is, it's not good enough. It's not going away by itself. We need more opportunities for all kinds of rehab, we need more education."