NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Pa. – A new report from AddictionResources.net shows overdose deaths are declining in several counties in our area.
This includes Northampton County, where Kathy Jiorle is used to stocking community distribution boxes full of the life-saving drug Narcan.
“Gretchen and I stock every box every week. We make sure there’s an ample supply in the summer, spring, winter, and fall,” said Jiorle.
Jiorle and her colleague Gretchen Hill run Northampton County’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Services.
“For the whole year of 2025, we handed out over 6,000 boxes of Narcan, and that’s through our trainings, our distribution boxes, and the requests that we get. So we’re definitely making an impact,” said Hill.
The new report shows that impact in hard numbers. After analyzing data from the CDC and the U.S. Census Bureau, the report found Northampton County saw a 63.2% drop in overdose deaths between 2020 and 2025, the 15th most in the country. Monroe, Lehigh, and Bucks counties were also in the top 100.
“When we have state conferences with all the other SEA administrators, we’re definitely all seeing a decrease,” said Jiorle.
Jiorle said that decrease can be attributed, in large part, to the opioid settlement.
Back in 2022, Northampton got the first installment of a $13 million payment from opioid manufacturers. They used it to start the “Fake is Real” campaign.
“That initiative that we have, the fentanyl awareness campaign, we wouldn’t have been able to do had we not had the extra funds,” said Jiorle.
They’re keeping that work going, using their new Rise van to bring addiction resources to schools and community events.
“Prevention does work. It’s really having those conversations with kids at a young age, and really just speaking truthfully about what you shouldn’t take, not take, and how to just be proactive,” said Hill.