Butler County unveils new tool to attack heroin

Butler County’s new tool in fighting heron: An alert system that gives real time information about drug overdoses.

This program has been in the works for about one year and went live Tuesday.

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There is very little heroin in heroin anymore, said Butler County Health Commissioner Jenny Bailer.

The drug is often cut with fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, she said. Knowing if there is a bad batch of the drug or where it is being used will help emergency responders be better prepared and hopefully save lives, she said.

“It’s not important to say what’s in it, what’s important is to say there’s something bad in it right now, try not to use today, or get your drugs from a different source, or staff your ER better, or call in an extra investigator,” she said.

Butler County’s project is part of a regional program, funded by a $100,000, three-year grant.

The Butler County Health Department, coroner and mental health and addiction board worked together as a sub group of the county-wide task force to cull and disseminate the data.

Click here to access the alert system.

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