24 Jan Lackawanna College Leading the Way Against Opioids

As part of ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, Lackawanna College announced last week that it will offer an addiction concentration as part of its bachelor’s degrees in Human Services and Criminal Justice beginning in the Fall 2019 semester.

“Both students and faculty expressed a need for an addiction concentration to address the growing crisis in northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Lackawanna College Social Science Division Chair Nicole Bradigan. “This program will give emphasis to all forms of addiction, including substances, impulse control disorders and behavioral addictions.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70,237 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2017.  Pennsylvania had the third highest rates of death due to drug overdose in 2017 and was one of several states with statistically significant increases in drug overdose death rates from 2016 to 2017.

Lackawanna’s new concentration will be available to students possessing or pursuing a bachelor’s degree. It will prepare students to work in the field of addictions, providing them with an academic understanding of substance use and related addictive disorders. The concentration will also focus on counseling, treatment and prevention for individuals and their families.

“Lackawanna College is proud to continue our mission of spearheading educational programs that are relevant to our community and help solve critical issues facing northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Erica Barone-Pricci, Ph.D., Lackawanna College Vice President for Academic Affairs & Chief Academic Officer. “With an education that combines theoretical and practical knowledge, students will learn to prevent and treat addictions in our region and beyond.”