In their ongoing fight against opioid and heroin addiction, Chester County Commissioners and the District Attorney are organizing a color 5k run and walk to raise funds to combat a growing epidemic.  

Chester County’s first ever color 5k family run and walk will take place at Everhart Park in West Chester, on November 5th. Registration is at 8:00 a.m. and the race begins an hour later.

“Chester County is one of the wealthiest, best educated and healthiest counties in the nation,” said Terence Farrell, Chester County Commissioners’ Chair. “However, we face the same overdose epidemic that is creating significant issues and causing deaths across Pennsylvania and America.”  

County officials and departments have already taken steps to help fight this issue. One of the new initiatives is the Overdose Prevention Task Force, led by the Commissioners, District Attorney, the Health Department, and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Services.

“Americans are the number one consumers of opioids and they are being abused by young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural,” said Commissioner Kathi Cozzone.

Commissioner Michelle Kichline also noted that the color 5k run and walk will serve two purposes. The first is to raise awareness that this addiction crisis is prevalent throughout Chester County. The second is to raise funds for Chester County hospitals to study and coordinate a program to help transition addicts into long-term treatment and counseling.

For additional details on the event, and to register to participate go here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of the Chester County Commissioners here.