Members of the Washington County Opioid Overdose Coalition met Wednesday to discuss data related to opioid overdoses and prevention in Washington County. Cheryl Andrews, Executive Director of the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission led off the meeting by discussing the Commission’s foundation in 2016 and its affiliation with the Opioid Overdose Coalition. The WDAC is the provider of education, training and overdose prevention supplies. Kiandra Foster is a program manager at the University of Pittsburgh Program Evaluation and Research Unit. She spoke on a number of topics regarding stigma of opioid use disorder and how to eliminate it. She also spoke on harm prevention strategies to assist those with an opioid use disorder. Physical tools available are Narcan kits that can help revive someone experiencing an overdose. Fentanyl and xylazine test strips allow users to test their samples. According to Foster, studies show that if a user finds fentanyl in their sample, between 70%-90% of those users will choose not to continue that particular usage. She also spoke of a strategy of Never Use Alone. That means that if a user chooses to use, they should have someone present to call for medical assistance in case of an overdose. If no one is available, they can call the Never Use Alone hotline to have someone there to make contact with emergency responders if the user overdoses while on the phone. Common Pleas Court Judge John DiSalle (pictured) is a co-chair of the coalition and directs the specialty courts for the county, specifically the drug treatment court. He says that it is impossible to prosecute our way out of the overdose problem. We must overcome the stigma of substance abuse disorders and educate and treat users so that they may find their way out of their addiction. Studies show that there is a 76% drop in recidivism when specialty courts are employed.