Addressing the opioid crisis gripping the state and nation requires a multifaceted approach, beginning with understanding the core issue, the state’s top doctor told University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown students on Wednesday.

“Addiction is a medical condition. It is not a moral failure,” Dr. Rachel Levine, secretary of health, said during Pennsylvania Opioid Crisis and prevention forum in the John P. Murtha Center for Public Service and National Competitiveness.

Levine outlined the state’s response to the crisis as part of a panel of experts assembled by juniors and seniors in the educational law class under Ray Wrabley, political science professor and chairman of social sciences and business enterprise divisions at Pitt Johnstown.

Other speakers included Ronna Yablonski, Cambria County Drug Coalition executive director, Amy Arcurio, Greater Johnstown School District superintendent, Amy Snyder, Glendale School District teacher and Botvin LifeSkills facilitator, Fred Oliveros, Cambria County Drug and Alcohol Program administrator and Jason Rilogio, recovery work group chairman for the drug task force.

The state’s three-pillar approach to the opioid crisis is showing results, Levine said. The focus on prevention, rescue and treatment, has continued to reduce the number of overdose deaths since 2017, she said.

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