BETHLEHEM, Pa.— Two years to the day after Northampton County launched its "Fake is Real" anti-opioid campaign, drug overdose deaths have sharply declined in the area, officials said Friday.
Also at a news conference in the Northampton County Human Services Building, the county unveiled a new mobile van to provide addiction and drug services to the community.
The county's opioid deaths are down more than both state and national numbers, officials said.
"We had a Fentanyl crisis in Northampton County, and we had to attack it."Lamont McClure, Northampton County executive
"Our staff makes me give this caveat, and I agree with them scientifically — that correlation is not causation, but I believe our Fake is Real campaign is saving lives," Northampton County Executive Lamont McCluresaid.
"And that there is empirical information for that proposition."
County staff handed out sheets with U.S. Centers for Disease Control data, showing a steep drop for overdose deaths in Northampton County.
In 2022, Northampton County had 62 drug overdose deaths, almost entirely from opioids. In 2023, when the county launched the Fake is Real campaign, there were 61 overdose deaths, also nearly entirely from opioids.
In 2024, there were only 19 overdose deaths in the entire county. That's the lowest it's been in a decade.
Nationally, overdose deaths, specifically from opioids, have declined 10%, and about 30% in Pennsylvania.
In Northampton County, overdose deaths plummeted 68% from 2023 and 72% from 2022.
"We had a fentanyl crisis in Northampton County, and we had to attack it," McClure added.
'More than a billboard campaign'
At the news conference, what looked to be a re-purposed newspaper vending box was sitting outside of the building, freshly stocked with Narcan.
In the past year, 3,428 boxes of Narcan have been distributed through people picking it up from those boxes throughout the county — free — to have it on them just in case they encounter someone having an overdose, officials said.
"We like to remind people, this is more than a billboard campaign," county Drug and Alcohol Administrator Kathleen Jiorle said. "It's more than just an ad, it's what we do every day."
Besides distributing free Narcan, the Fake is Real campaign, using opioid lawsuit settlement money, has handed out Deterra to more than 200,000 homes, officials said.
Deterra is a chemical product that can deactivate old prescription opioid drugs, making them harmless if they get into the wrong hands.
The campaign has also established a discrete home delivery service for Narcan, prescription pill lockboxes, as well as Deterra.
"We're like the Uber Eats of Narcan," Jiorle said, which got a big laugh in the room.
RISE van
The county's new mobile van is called RISE, which stands for Recovery Initiatives Supporting Everyone.
"It's a whole show that we're taking on the road," Jiorle said.
The RISE van will provide introductions to recovery centers, assessments and case management, as well as human services resources, such as mental health, children's services and veteran's affairs, officials said.
Its first few stops already are scheduled. First, it will head to the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter from 4-6 p.m. Feb. 12, then 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 26 at New Bethany Ministries.
In addition to scheduled slots, the van can be requested.
"We can come to you," Jiorle said.
The van has a separate private office for confidential case work and is also funded by opioid lawsuit settlement money.
