HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s first responders are now equipped with a new weapon to fight the opioid crisis.
On Tuesday, state lawmakers joined first responders and families of overdose victims in Harrisburg to celebrate Act 158 becoming law.
State Senator Doug Mastriano says the new law will save lives.
“[It will] save lives caught in a web of addiction, people like us and people we love," said Sen. Mastriano. "[It will help] people stuck in addiction [who] need help and time [so they won't] have their lives snuffed out by one bad decision.”
The law requires law enforcement to report overdose incidents to a statewide tracking system within 72 hours. The goal is to help local officials identify local trends and notify first responders of fentanyl-laced drugs in a region.
“Get [resources] where the need is greater so that we can reach more people, divert them into treatment, and get them off these substances," said Jerimiah Daley, the executive director of the Liberty Mid-Atlantic High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
“Standardizing it across the state of Pennsylvania is probably a great idea for us to look at statewide trends, to be able to address some of the overdose issues," said Becky Lockner.
Lockner is a coordinator with Just for Today Recovery Center and helps direct people and veterans to local recovery services. She says the new tracking system will act as a call to action, allowing counties to focus on pockets of addiction and overdoses, getting people the help they need.
“One of the best things a statewide system can do for us is to identify pockets, and then utilize best practices that have been used in those areas that are high levels of overdose," said Lockner.
She says it will take a team effort of local and state agencies and groups to better address the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania.
“As a team, we need to come up with solutions for this and we need to learn from each other in different parts of the state to make our state better as a whole," she told FOX43.