POTTSVILLE — Thirty-four people died of drug-related overdoses in the county in 2017, according to information from the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office, in a crisis one local paramedic said “crosses all socioeconomic boundaries.”
The coroner’s office provided information in May.
The primary cause of death while drug related based upon initial evidence is not given. However, it is cited as “pending toxicology” for 12, one says “pending pathological studies” and for some there is no primary cause of death listed. The manner of death is listed as “pending” for 15 people.
Drugs found in the decedents include fentanyl, heroin, acetyl fentanyl, carfentanil — a fentanyl analog about 100 times stronger than fentanyl — methamphetamine, methadone and marijuana.
Of those who died, 18 were males and 16 females. They ranged in age from 22 to 64. The youngest male and female were each 22. The oldest male was 64, while the oldest female was 58.
The Republican-Herald submitted a Right-To-Know request on May 10, asking the county to provide names, ages, addresses, causes and manners of death for all people who died of drug overdoses in Schuylkill County in 2017, including which drugs were in their system.
On May 11, the county said it required an additional 30 days to respond. The reason given was that the records requested require redaction and a legal review was necessary to determine if the information was “subject to access” under the Right-To-Know Law, according to a letter from the county.
Shortly after the May 11 response, John Mika, a Schuylkill County deputy coroner, provided some information, but not names and locations. Mika cited the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as the reason for not providing names.
The Republican-Herald filed an appeal with The Office of Open Records, Harrisburg, on May 31.
A final determination on the appeal by the office has not yet been made. The Right-to-Know Law, in fact, says names and manners of death are public record.
In a response to the appeal, Glenn T. Roth Jr., first assistant county solicitor, wrote in part that the Schuylkill County Coroner’s Office has gone to “great lengths” to provide information while “protecting the privacy rights of the decedents and decedent’s families.”
Roth went on to say that “to provide the name and address of a decedent whose death is associated with drugs can cause embarrassment and place a negative stigma on the decedent and family. Release of this information can open up old wounds and further subject the family to pain. The privacy interests far outweigh any interest in releasing names and addresses where the requested information has been released,” Roth said.
Pat Moran, a paramedic and education coordinator with Schuylkill EMS, is on the front lines of the overdose epidemic.
Moran started as an EMT in 1977 and has been a paramedic since 1984.
“This crisis crosses all socioeconomic boundaries,” he said.
He said he enjoys his job, but it is painful to see the toll that overdoses take.
“I feel very badly for the families and the patient. They need support. They need help,” Moran said.
When the EMS is informed by the Schuylkill County Communications Center of a possible overdose, the first question they ask the communications center is if the police are on scene.
“We don’t go into the scene until it is safe,” he said, adding a responder might not know what they will encounter when they arrive.
Naloxone, a fast-acting medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, is often administered if the person is still alive.
Sometimes an overdose victim does not survive, despite the efforts of the first responders, and Moran said doing what he does is not for the faint of heart.
When someone dies, Moran said he experiences a “frustrated feeling.”
“Until they decide to curb or stop the usage, there is nothing anyone can do for these people,” Moran said.
He said that getting to that point could be difficult for some.
“They have to come to the conclusion that if they don’t stop this, it will kill them,” Moran said.
He believes the county has made strides in addressing the opioid problem through education and other methods.
Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Deb Detweiler agrees steps have been taken by the county, outreach groups and others to bring attention and confront the epidemic.
Still, it’s an ongoing battle.
“Death of a loved one is one of life’s most difficult experiences anyone goes through. There is no better way to tell someone you care than to give them your time,” she said.
Detweiler too often consoles those left behind after their loved one dies. She is open and honest with them.
“It helps them come to terms with what’s going on,” she said of the person’s death.
Sometimes she does not even talk but lends a sympathetic ear.
“I never rush them. I give them my time,” she said.
She even gives them her phone number to call and alerts them to developments that occur.
“Don’t give up that hope. They are your loved ones. There is always hope. Miracles happen everyday,” she said.
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