Centre County receives new opiate funds, focusing on prevention and treatment

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) – The Centre County Commissioners approved a motion to participate in the latest wave of opiate settlements, and they have a plan of where they want that money to go.

The opioid crisis continues to rage nationwide, with the CDC reporting over 80,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023 alone. With new funding coming through, Commissioner Amber Concepcion says they want to use the money in “important ways” to help opioid addictions, specifically focusing on treatment and prevention.

Centre County Drug & Alcohol Administrator Catherine Arbogast says that they are estimating roughly $200,000 per year until 2038. However, each yearly sum must be used within 18 months, meaning that there are certain restrictions.

“We have to be very thoughtful and planful as we start projects,” Arbogast said, explaining that finding the money to sustain said projects would be the difficult part.

AppleGate Recovery, a State College organization dedicated to helping recovering addicts, says that “it’s wonderful” that more funding is on the way and that the crisis is getting the attention it needs.

“It’s important to talk about and bring to the forefront,” Katelyn Bucheit, treatment center director, said. “It is something that affects our community in Centre County.”

Bucheit also said that addiction does not have to mean the end, especially if there is a support system for the addicted individual.

“Don’t give up,” Bucheit said. “The opposite of addiction is connection.”

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AppleGate offers free overdose prevention resources like Naloxone that they encourage anyone, not just addicts, to keep on hand.

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