Butler County board reports 43 overdose deaths in 2024 and seeks $676,500 in additional state funding

Butler County Drug & Alcohol Advisory Board members on Feb. 18 reviewed county overdose counts and a pending request for additional state funds intended to sustain treatment and housing-focused services for the remainder of the 2024–25 state fiscal year.

In the director’s report the county listed 43 confirmed overdose deaths in 2024, with one case pending; as of Feb. 14, 2025 there were two confirmed overdose deaths and seven pending cases for 2025. The report did not attribute those figures to an individual speaker.

Board staff said they submitted a request to the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) at the end of November seeking $560,000 to support treatment services and $116,500 to support the Housing & Housing-focused Case Management Services Program, a combined total of $676,500. As of Feb. 14 staff reported they had not received correspondence from DDAP about awards or Subsequent Available Funds (SAFs).

The board’s report also summarized state-level budget proposals. The governor’s draft FY 2025–26 budget, presented Feb. 4, proposes a 7.4% increase in total spending but, according to the report, would not increase county allocations for DDAP or add dedicated prevention or treatment dollars tied to the governor’s proposed legalization of adult recreational marijuana. The Behavioral Health Services Initiative (BHSI) funding and substance use disorder funding were reported as unchanged in the proposal.

Program and operations updates accompanied the fiscal discussion. Staff reported that The Center — a local recovery-support center — operates three days a week from 1 to 7 p.m., has grown to more than 130 members, and now offers weekly meetings including Refuge Recovery, a Professionals in Recovery meeting, an All Recovery meeting, and a Mothers/Women in Recovery meeting. Staff are implementing an electronic system to streamline membership applications, electronic check-ins and capture basic demographic and service-interest information.

Staff also described continuing annual provider monitoring under DDAP guidance and said the regional rate-setting process for non-hospital and halfway-house providers did not roll out as expected; the county’s statewide association retained certified public accountants Binkley Kanavy Group, LLC to review the rate-setting process and recommend revisions pending DDAP approval.

Financial and program caseload updates were presented: Bill Kepple reviewed allocations and expenditures through Dec. 31, 2024; Tracey Hendrix reviewed January 2025 assessment, information/referral and client-location statistics. Prevention staff said the Strengthening Families Program in Saxonburg currently has three families enrolled and that additional prevention trainings are scheduled at the Butler County Government Center.

Program-count snapshots included a PCCD program update with 15 participants (two in long-term treatment, two in a halfway house, the remainder in lower levels of care) and a Drug Treatment Court update listing 13 participants across inpatient, intensive outpatient, halfway house and outpatient placements; one participant was noted as being in jail pending further court action.

Votes at a glance • Approval of Jan. 2025 minutes — Motion: approve minutes as written. Mover: Kristan Semmler. Second: Mark Lope. Vote recorded: All in favor (3); opposed 0; abstentions 0. Note: there was a lack of quorum at the meeting and the record states additional votes were later obtained from absent board members to approve all action items taken at the meeting. • Adjournment at 8:09 a.m. — Motion made and seconded; outcome recorded as adjourned. Mover/second and tally not specified in the minutes.

The meeting lasted from 7:39 a.m. to 8:09 a.m. and consisted primarily of updates and reports; there were no formal motions recorded regarding the service agreement during the public meeting. One member of the public, Elisha Coast, asked about the service-agreement process during the public-comment period.