Lock Haven council approves initial opioid-settlement expenditure for Good Samaritan outreach

Lock Haven — The city council approved a proposal to use opioid-settlement funds for a public outreach effort to promote Good Samaritan protections.

City staff (Speaker 5) told the council the administration has reviewed settlement documents and worked with Commonwealth University of Lock Haven and the county housing authority to produce door hangers explaining Good Samaritan protections for people who report an overdose or other emergency. "If an individual in good faith reports an incident to 911 ... then the individual who calls and the individual who is in medical danger are both immune from prosecution for consumption or possession of alcohol and drugs," Speaker 5 said when summarizing the outreach content.

Staff said the partnership would supply approximately 1,100 door hangers for university or foundation-owned properties and estimated a cost of about $0.13 per hanger. If the council approved, this would be the first expenditure from the city's opioid-settlement funds; staff said the account would retain roughly $9,000 afterward and that, including other settlements, the city expects about $16,000 to be available this fiscal year (figures as stated in the meeting).

Council moved and seconded to place the order for the door hangers so distribution could be timed for back-to-school; the motion passed on recorded votes.