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Authors Posts by Jason Snyder

Jason Snyder

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is awarding more than $100,000 to community-based organizations serving 10 counties to assist with their efforts in reducing the stigma associated with substance use disorder (SUD).

Pennsylvania’s statewide anti-stigma campaign, Life Unites Us, addresses stigma by investing in those who are doing the work at the local level. By prioritizing compassionate, judgment-free care, DDAP intends to help more Pennsylvanians access life-saving resources and achieve recovery.

Life Unites Us (LUU) is a research-driven campaign that uses social media to spread stories of individuals in recovery, their family members, and allies who support those with SUD. In addition to offering stigma reduction grants, LUU gives local organizations an opportunity to learn through webinars, fosters community partnerships to promote recovery-focused support at the local level, and maintains an interactive data dashboard detailing the campaign’s progress.

The following community-based organizations will receive up to $29,000 each to help fund stigma reduction:

Read the full press release.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW), in partnership with the Department of Community Health and Prevention at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, has released a new report, “Housing Access Among People Who Use Drugs in Pennsylvania.” The report explores the intersection of homelessness and substance use across the Commonwealth.

Key topics include:

  • Prevalence of homelessness in the United States and Pennsylvania;
  • Substance use among people experiencing homelessness in the United States and Pennsylvania;
  • Housing availability;
  • Results from a survey of 137 housing providers assessing availability and barriers for people who use drugs; and
  • Best practices for increasing housing access for people who use drugs.

SEOW brings together governmental and non-governmental partners statewide to inform state and community decisions on substance use and behavioral health programs, practices, and policies across Pennsylvania. To view previous SEOW reports, visit DDAP’s Document Library.

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Registration for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s (PCCD) 2026 CJAB Conference “Driving Change Together” is now open. The conference will be held April 21–22 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College. This year’s event will bring together criminal justice, behavioral health, and treatment partners for an engaging and thought-provoking event, featuring national and local experts who will examine rethinking the criminal justice system, shifting from reactive measures to cooperative solutions to foster meaningful change.

Criminal justice advisory boards (CJAB) are local planning and problem-solving groups.  PCCD supports CJABs in getting started and with assistance on strategies and project implementation.

To register for the conference and view the agendas and session descriptions, visit the 2026 CJAB Conference web page on PCCD’s website.

The deadline for the discounted room rate of $139 is Friday, March 20.

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View of brown folders, with focus on grants label, Concept of funding, 3D illustration

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is awarding more than $1.2 million to expand access to recovery housing and recovery support services throughout Pennsylvania for young adults 18–24 years old who have opioid or stimulant use disorders. DDAP is awarding grants to nine Single County Authorities (SCA) to fund the effort.

Currently, there are about 430 DDAP-licensed recovery houses across the Commonwealth. The purpose of the Administration’s licensure program is to help empower sustained recovery for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) by ensuring a network of safe drug and alcohol recovery houses. Drug and alcohol recovery houses are required to be licensed in order to receive referrals from state agencies or state-funded facilities or to receive federal or state funding to deliver recovery house services.

The grant funds will be used to supplement existing resources, ensuring that current services are expanded rather than replaced, and that recovery housing remains accessible and safe through Pennsylvania.

DDAP is awarding nine grants, which will run through September 30, 2026, to the following SCAs serving 14 counties:

  • Berks County Council on Chemical Abuse: Berks County
  • Blair County Drug and Alcohol Program, Inc.: Blair County
  • Columbia Montour Snyder Union Drug & Alcohol Services: Columbia, Montour, Snyder, and Union Counites
  • Delaware County Department of Human Services, Division of Drug and Alcohol Programs: Delaware County
  • Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse: Erie County
  • Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs: Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties
  • Somerset Single County Authority for Drug and Alcohol: Somerset County
  • Westmoreland Drug & Alcohol Commission, Inc.: Westmoreland County
  • York Adams Drug and Alcohol Commission: York and Adams Counties

Read the full press release.

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Yesterday, January 15, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro, alongside Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, led a roundtable discussion at Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency on efforts to save lives, prevent fatal overdoses, and support families struggling with substance use disorder. The visit followed the release of the Shapiro Administration’s Overdose Prevention Program Annual Report, which details significant progress in reducing overdose deaths across Pennsylvania.

Between October 2024 and September 2025, frontline organizations reported over 11,400 overdose reversals linked to naloxone distributed through the Administration’s initiative — representing thousands of lives saved through timely intervention. Early estimates show that in 2025, Pennsylvania saw the fewest overdose deaths in more than a decade.

Read the complete press release.

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Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Medetomidine is a veterinary sedative, similar to xylazine, that was first found in Philadelphia’s drug supply in May 2024. Since then, it has spread across Pennsylvania. Medetomidine is 100-200 times more potent than xylazine and can cause longer-lasting sedation, low heart rates, and more severe withdrawal symptoms. It is not an opioid but is found in the illicit drug supply.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is seeking information about complications associated with medetomidine in the drug supply. DOH is particularly interested in SUD treatment providers’ responses to the following.

  • Are you seeing an influx in clients presenting with worsening withdrawal symptoms (e.g., racing heart, severe nausea, high blood pressure, tremors, confusion)?
  • Are you seeing an increase in clients leaving against medical advice?
  • Have you had to send clients to the hospital because their symptoms required a higher level of care?
  • Are there any other changes you are noticing in your community that you think DOH should know about?

You can email your responses to DOH Senior Harm Reduction Technical Advisor Roseanne Scotti or RCPA SUD Treatment Policy Director Jason Snyder.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is offering a new virtual format for the clinical supervision training.

This instructor-led virtual training builds on foundational coursework and gives participants the opportunity to practice clinical supervision skills, along with tools to support assessment and effective work with supervisees.

The next session will be held daily at 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday, January 26, through Friday, January 30.

Log into DDAP’s Training Management System (TMS) to request a virtual seat and review registration and payment instructions for the $300 training. Payment must be submitted by check or money order, as detailed in TMS. Space is limited, and registrations are processed in the order received.

Completion of the Clinical Supervision Training Foundations course, available on demand through TMS, is required before enrolling.

Clinical supervisors and lead counselors with less than two years of supervisory experience are required to complete the core curriculum offering in TMS or a DDAP-approved core curriculum in clinical supervision.

Please send any questions electronically.

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Act 66 of 2023 requires the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to annually report to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and House Human Services Committee, among other information, barriers to entry into the SUD workforce. To help fulfill that requirement, DDAP is surveying providers to get their input on this topic.

In addition to this reporting requirement, Act 66 of 2023 also put in place several regulatory flexibilities about which providers are also being asked through this survey, though DDAP is not legislatively mandated to report on the use of these flexibilities.

The deadline to submit the survey is 5:00 pm Sunday, December 21, 2025.

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RCPA has formalized its opposition to SB 716 in a brief position paper. Senator Laughlin’s SB 716 would amend Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA) by defining substance use disorder (SUD) as a mental illness, thereby subjecting those with an SUD to the same procedures outlined in MHPA, including an involuntary commitment to a 120-hour hold in a psychiatric hospital, which is commonly referred to as a 302 (Section 302 of MHPA).

RCPA determined its position after months of discussion and analysis, including:

  • Written input from the entire RCPA SUD treatment provider membership;
  • Extensive conversations and meetings with RCPA members, including SUD and mental health treatment providers, the SUD Steering Committee, and governmental entities;
  • Multiple meetings with staff from key legislators’ offices, including Sen. Laughlin;
  • Multiple meetings with the Shapiro administration; and
  • A review of published research detailing experiences other states have had with involuntary commitment for SUD.

RCPA has offered to work with the legislature and Sen. Laughlin to implement alternative strategies that are proven effective in reducing overdoses and connecting those with SUD to treatment.

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