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County reports nearly 10,000 Narcan kits distributed through 'Fake Is Real' campaign; Deterra mailings reach 233,000 households
Summary
Northampton County staff said the 'Fake Is Real' fentanyl-awareness campaign has distributed thousands of Narcan kits and mailed Deterra medication-disposal pouches to county households since 2023.
Kathy Durley, drug and alcohol administrator for Northampton County, told council on June 5, 2025, that the county’s Fake Is Real fentanyl-awareness campaign has distributed nearly 10,000 Narcan kits and mailed hundreds of thousands of safe-medication disposal pouches.
Durley said FakeIsReal launched Jan. 30, 2023, and that the county has distributed 9,986 Narcan kits and mailed roughly 233,000 Deterra pouches to households; the Deterra pouches are designed to deactivate unused medications in home medicine cabinets. Durley described the campaign as both education and harm reduction and told council, “The overdose death rates in Northampton County have decreased more than surrounding counties and nationally. We believe but cannot prove that this has something to do with our Fake Is Real campaign.”
Staff reported a recent surge in Narcan requests: between Friday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 7 a.m., the county received 42 requests for Narcan, 28 of them from Nazareth. County staff maintain publicly accessible Narcan boxes at county buildings and partner campuses, including the government center, juvenile justice center, domestic relations, Lafayette College and Northampton Community College. Staff also said they have trained 585 people in Narcan use through 37 trainings and maintain an online request form for Narcan and for on-site Narcan training for businesses and organizations.
Durley also outlined outreach metrics for the fakeisreal.org site and digital engagement, reporting a multi-year increase in visits and requests; officials said the county has also provided 452 medication lock boxes and held more than 46 community events tied to the campaign. Durley asked council to consider continued support for Narcan distribution, training, school-based prevention activities and planned expansion of recovery housing.
Funding context: Durley reiterated that the county’s opioid settlement totals $11 million over 18 years and described the multi-year payment schedule and reporting requirements under Exhibit E of the settlement trust.
