Waynesburg, PA – A $50,000 grant has been awarded to Summit Legal Aid, a legal aid organization based in western Pennsylvania, to provide free civil legal help to Greene County residents in drug and/or alcohol recovery for two years, starting in July. This initiative, funded by opioid settlement monies and distributed by the Greene County Board of Commissioners, aims to assist individuals who are in documented recovery from drug dependence and are navigating various civil legal challenges as they deal with the impact of the opioid epidemic.
With a rich history of coal mining and manufacturing, the region began to lead all other Pennsylvania counties in bituminous coal production by 1986. Faced with high rates of workplace injuries and economic displacement, this has led to extensive overprescription of opioids. While year-over-year trends for overdoses and prescriptions are declining, a Rothman Institute study found that Pennsylvania prescription rates and overdose deaths remain high compared to national averages.
