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FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE – PENNSYLVANIA STATE LODGE
5262 E. Trindle Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
HARRISBURG, PA. (Aug. 15, 2024) — A coalition of Pennsylvania public service leaders, including Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police (PA FOP) President Joe Regan, is asking the Shapiro administration to give them more tools to fight and prevent opioid deaths. Currently, Pennsylvania has only approved a single reversal antagonist, naloxone, but two-thirds of all states have expanded their options to other FDA-approved agents.
“Pennsylvania’s law enforcement officers see first-hand the devastation opioids are causing in communities across our commonwealth,” Regan said. “We cannot delay because new challenges are emerging every day. With the prevalence of fentanyl in our drug supply, we need a state policy that allows for new tools to be accessible to Pennsylvanians.”
A Pennsylvanian dies every two hours from a drug overdose, according to the Office of Drug Surveillance. In 2022, 84.3% of those deaths were from opioid use. Nationally, synthetic opioids are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163725821002217).
Regan is part of the coalition that includes: Deb Beck, president, Drug & Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania; Carly Meyer Bentley, president and CEO, The Freckled Strawberry; Scott Bohn, executive director, PA Chiefs of Police Association; Chris Chermak, county commissioner, Lackawanna County; John Eckenrode, president, Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association; Richard Edley, president and CEO, Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association; Matt Espenshade, president, PA State Grange; Anne Marie Frankes, executive director, PA Psychological Association; Heather Harris, executive director, PA Ambulance Association; Eric Kiehl, director of policy and partnership, PA Association of Community Health Centers; Christina Martinez, owner, Open Arms Recovery Center; Beck Moore, president and CEO, Community Action Association of Pennsylvania; Joe Peters, district attorney, Wyoming County; Nick Sherman, county commissioner, Washington County; Nicole Stallings, president and CEO, Hospital and Healthsystem Association of PA; Garrett Trout, president and CEO, True North Wellness; and Clinton "C.J." Walters, sheriff, Bradford County.
“It’s time for Pennsylvania to give first responders every tool available to save lives when seconds count,” Regan said. “We look forward to working with the Shapiro administration to get this done.”
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About the Pennsylvania FOP
The Fraternal Order of Police was founded in Pittsburgh in 1915 by two city patrol officers, beginning the tradition of police officers representing police officers. Today, the Pennsylvania Lodge has 40,000 active and retired members and is engaged in a broad range of activities. Charitable activities include Easter Seals and the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics. Visit www.pafop.org.
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