County drug and alcohol director outlines services, priorities and 2025 caseloads to commissioners

At the commissioners' meeting, Joe Lobuski, director of Northumberland County Drug and Alcohol Services, provided a departmental update on the county's treatment and prevention work.

Lobuski said most non‑insurance funding for the department comes from DDAAP and emphasized that any uninsured resident is eligible for services; the county assists with Medicaid enrollment when appropriate. He described the department's service pathway—phone screening, level‑of‑care assessments, referrals and goal‑focused case management—and said case management is offered to everyone who receives an assessment. “In 2025, we completed 470 drug and alcohol assessments for folks,” Lobuski said, and reported a current case‑management caseload of 124 individuals.

He outlined the provider network the county uses for inpatient, outpatient and transitional care (15 inpatient providers statewide, multiple outpatient and prevention providers and 51 facilities available for referrals). Lobuski described the WARM handoff program, which connects people presenting at hospitals to treatment: in 2025 the program produced 160 hospital encounters and led to 84 referrals to treatment, he said. The department also contracts with providers that can treat women with children as a unit and prioritizes populations that include pregnant people who use substances, overdose survivors, and veterans.

Lobuski provided a referral phone number for residents seeking services: (570) 495‑2154. Commissioners thanked him and said departmental updates will be a regular monthly agenda item to keep the public informed about county services.