The opioid epidemic continues to hit Pennsylvania exceptionally hard. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, on average, nearly 14 Pennsylvanians died from a drug overdose every day in 2020, a 14 percent increase over 2019. The presence of an opioid, illicit or prescribed by a doctor, was identified in 85 percent of the more than 5,000 drug-related overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2020. York County overdose mortality rates remained relatively stable until the fourth quarter of 2019, when a dramatic increased occurred; rates remained high throughout 2020. While the rate of prescription opioids dispensed has been trending downward, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the rate of dispensations in York County was still 983 per 10,000 population.

Comprehensive Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Program funds were used to support a two-pronged approach to distribute drug deactivation bags for at-home disposal of medications, along with education through community partnerships, through the existing Safeguar(x)d Initiative in York County. The project purchased 24,000 drug disposal pouches, which were disseminated via community events and community partners. This enabled York County to reach more than 5 percent of the general population.