FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt Maisel, Director of Communications
[email protected]
(717) 255-7295
HARRISBURG — In response to the ongoing spike in drug overdoses seen throughout the City of Harrisburg and Dauphin County, WHBG-TV 20 will air a special roundtable discussion program titled “Help In Harrisburg.”
The program, which will premiere Friday, September 15 at 7 p.m., will feature a roundtable panel and a demonstration on how to administer Narcan. The panel will include Harrisburg Police Commissioner Tom Carter, Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick, Dauphin County Director of Drug & Alcohol Services Kristin Varner, and Dauphin County Deputy Coroner Tommy Reinhard.
The special will also include medical experts from UPMC, which will show viewers how to administer the life-saving, overdose reversal drug naloxone, to help save someone’s life. Toxicologist Dr. Adam Barnathan and Theresa Sellers of UPMC’s Center for Addiction Recovery will present on behalf of the health network’s Minutes Matter initiative.
In one week, from Friday, September 8 at 4 p.m., until the morning of Thursday, September 14, Dauphin County 911 reported receiving 29 overdose calls with nine overdose-related fatalities. All nine deaths came in individuals between the ages of 56 and 70 years old.
“We are seeing all sorts of drugs laced with fentanyl. We believe the spike that we’re seeing now is the result of a batch of drugs from Philadelphia,” said Commissioner Carter. “We need people to know, that if you mess with this, there’s no coming back.”
The Harrisburg Bureau of Police has limited supplies of Narcan available in its Public Safety Building lobby, located at 123 Walnut Street. Dauphin County also provides Narcan and fentanyl test strips through The RASE Project, located at 100 N. Cameron Street, Suite #401.
Assistance is available through Dauphin County’s Drug and Alcohol Services 24 hours a day, by calling (717) 635-2254. UPMC’s Center for Addiction Recovery can be reached at (717) 782-4781, and the National Substance Abuse Helpline is 1-800-662-HELP(4357).
City of Harrisburg Communications Director Matt Maisel will moderate the panel. “Help In Harrisburg” will also air, and will be available to watch at any time, on the City of Harrisburg’s YouTube channel.
“Our goal is to create programming that city residents can use to make their lives better,” Maisel said. “What we are seeing right now is a crisis in the amount of drug overdoses, than can impact anyone. If we can bring attention to it and let the people of Harrisburg know there is help available, then that benefits everyone.”
WHBG-TV 20 is a government access cable tv channel in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Despite its call sign, it is not an FCC-sanctioned terrestrial television station. It is seen in Harrisburg on Comcast cable 20.
The station reaches 32 municipalities served by Comcast on the East and West Shores. They are: Harrisburg City, Susquehanna Township, Penbrook Borough, Paxtang Borough, Lower Paxton Township, Swatara Township, Steelton Borough, Highspire Borough, Lower Swatara Township, New Cumberland Borough, Lemoyne Borough, Wormleysburg Borough, Camp Hill Borough, West Fairview Township, East Pennsboro Township, Hampden Township, Silver Spring Township, Middletown Borough, Royalton Borough, Marysville Borough, Middle Paxton Township, Dauphin Borough, West Hanover Township, Lower Allen Township, Shiresmanstown Borough, Mechanicsburg Borough, Fairview Township, Upper Allen Township, Monroe Township, Carroll Township, Rye Township, Middlesex Township
