St. Vincent College to host drug summit at Fred Rogers Center

Renatta Signorini, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 9—The drug epidemic has been overshadowed by the coronavirus for months, but that doesn't mean it disappeared.

Now that the hold of the virus is decreasing, local and federal officials think it's time to bring public awareness of the drug problem back to the forefront. A summit planned for Wednesday at Saint Vincent College will address trafficking trends and the latest advancements in treatment and recovery.

"The problem certainly hasn't lessened during the pandemic," acting U.S. Attorney Steve Kaufman said.

He has been coordinating the 2021 Western Pennsylvania Drug Summit with staff members in his Pittsburgh office, Saint Vincent officials and others throughout the region. The event will include information on drug trafficking trends and best practices in treating addiction as well as a range of panelists discussing treatment and research. There will be recorded remarks from Regina LaBelle, acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and other speakers will be in person.

"We really want to put some possible solutions out there for folks — it is possible to recover," Kaufman said.

On the trafficking side, there is new information organizers want to get out to the public, in particular about the prevalence of fentanyl, counterfeit pills and methamphetamine. Powerful opioid fentanyl, the top contributor to overdose deaths in Westmoreland County, is being included in counterfeit pills, and methamphetamine is becoming more prevalent in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

"We think there are some changes in drug trafficking and drug distribution since before the pandemic," he said.

More than 100 police officers in the region will get their own session earlier in the day, with discussions focused on trafficking trends and search-and-seizure issues. The session open to the public will be from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Fred Rogers Center.

Anyone who would rather attend remotely can do so via Zoom at https://stvincent-edu.zoom.us/j/98611228340?pwd=Sk5PszRoMFMwN1ArMGVcU5WRDFDZz09 with the passcode aUaC3K.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .