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Behavioral-health town hall: Beaver County fentanyl risk noted; treatment and completions at record highs
Summary
A commissioner reported fentanyl remains an issue in Beaver County but overdose deaths and addiction numbers are down this year; behavioral-health providers recorded 1,112 people seeking treatment and 786 completions, both described as record highs.
A commissioner updating the Beaver County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 19 said fentanyl remains a concern locally but that recent indicators show declines in overdose deaths and increased treatment engagement.
“Fentanyl is still an issue in Beaver County,” Speaker 3 said, while noting that overdoses have declined from '35' last year to '29' through August of this year. The speaker credited local providers and organizers — naming Kate Lowry and Theresa Irwin — for an annual behavioral-health town hall that brought providers together to coordinate responses.
Speaker 3 said the county recorded a record 1,112 people seeking treatment and 786 treatment completions, which he described as an important positive development. He said alcohol remains the largest treatment category, with fentanyl-related cases following.
The update stressed continued caution as the holiday period approaches, when officials said substance-use issues tend to increase.
No new funding allocations or formal policy actions were announced during the report; the remarks were presented as an informational update to the board.
