North Huntingdon seeks opioid settlement funds for drug prevention program

The North Huntingdon Police Department hopes to provide an educational program in Norwin’s elementary, middle and high schools beginning this fall.

The effort — funded by money from Westmoreland County’s opioid settlement — would be aimed at preventing substance abuse by students.

Chief Robert Rizzo proposed to the North Huntingdon commissioners last week that money be designated for the township’s community engagement officer, Anna Jandric, to present the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, known as DARE, to Norwin students.

“I gravitate toward community policing,” Jandric said.

Rizzo said they also want to partner with Sage’s Army, a Hempfield-based drug prevention and education organization.

Rizzo said he did researched the criteria for using the money and funding evidence-based drug prevention programs was eligible for the opioid funding.

Norwin Superintendent Jeff Taylor and Assistant Superintendent Natalie McCracken were “very, very interested” in having Norwin participate in the program, Rizzo said of his discussion with the school officials about how the program would work. The school district’s involvement in the DARE program would be contingent upon approval by the Norwin School Board, Rizzo noted.

“I look forward to introducing the D.A.R.E. program to Norwin as I believe it is a research-based curriculum that has proven to be effective in reducing drug use, student conflicts, and other problem behaviors. The program shows great potential by teaching students about important life- and decision-making skills,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Rizzo is scheduled to present the program to the school board on May 1.

North Huntingdon officials did not know how much money the township might receive from the share of the settlement allocated to the county’s 11 largest municipalities, which would include North Huntingdon, Greensburg, Murrysville, Penn Township and Hempfield. Rizzo estimated the annual portion of the settlement set aside for the municipalities might be around $200,000.

Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew said he was not aware of any of the other municipalities presenting a proposal for using the funding.

The county commissioners said last month that a three-member committee of human service officials is preparing recommendations for the money. It must be used for education, rehabilitation and harm-reduction programs, according to terms of the settlement.

Commissioner Ronald Zona, who is the county’s chief detective, said if the municipalities do not use the money from the settlement, it reverts to the county.

“This is a good use of the money,” Zona said.

The county already has received $2.5 million of its $22 million from the initial opioid lawsuit against the pharmaceutical companies that manufactured the opioids. The county also is in line to receive $26 million from two additional settlements from national pharmacy chains Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. The North Huntingdon commissioners approved the settlement with the pharmaceutical chains.

Depending upon how much money the township might receive, it could be enough for covering the cost of Jandric as a full-time community engagement officer and to have her undergo the DARE training. Money also could be used to work with Sage’s Army and with similar community-based organizations, Rizzo said.

DARE, founded in 1983, is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches students how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug-free and violence-free lives, according to the organization’s website.

White Oak Officer Martin Fontaine, that department’s DARE officer, told the commissioners he has been working with fifth grade students in McKeesport and that effort has been successful.

A recent study by the University of North Carolina showed a reduction in use of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and vaping among students who received instruction through DARE, said Rafael Morales, who directs the DARE region covering Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and seven other states.

Speaking about how the opioid settlement money will be allocated, Rizzo said he and fellow police chiefs in the county were disappointed that the criteria for using the money eliminated the use by police departments for drug interdiction efforts.

“Law enforcement was taken out of the funding equation,” Rizzo said. “I don’t know how else we can use the money.”