Pulling from the fields of research, advocacy, policy, and practice, the National Council is launching a new interest group for members to explore the latest innovation and guidance from across the field and throughout the full continuum of substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery.
For more information on the Substance Use Interest Group and other interest groups, visit National Council’s website. As a reminder, membership in RCPA includes National Council membership.
More than $12 million in federal grant funding for services and supports designed to improve outcomes for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder has been awarded to Pennsylvania grantees.
The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will administer funding to grantees to provide employment support services, expand and enhance community recovery supports, and provide supports services to pregnant women and postpartum women in recovery from SUD. The grants are part of $55 million in federal funding awarded to Pennsylvania through the SAMHSA Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental Awards.
Please read the press release.
On Friday, October 1, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) resubmitted to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) its Final-Omitted Regulations on Standards for Drug and Alcohol Recovery House Licensure, as well as its response to IRRC’s disapproval order of Aug. 24, 2021.
The regulations are publicly available on IRRC’s website.
The submitted regulatory package includes the updated regulations (p. 98–129), as well as:
The above linked documents reflect the changes made to the regulations since DDAP appeared at IRRC’s public meeting in July. The revised regulations are scheduled to be considered at IRRC’s next public meeting on Thursday, October 21.
Upcoming Timeline:
Which Recovery Houses Will Need a License?
Once the new licensing program is in place, drug and alcohol recovery houses must have a license to:
In addition, the law imposes two additional requirements on referrals to recovery houses:
Additional information on drug and alcohol recovery house licensing can be found here.
Rep. Seth Grove, chair of the House State Government Committee, has reintroduced legislation that would eliminate Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices behavioral health carve-out and instead integrate physical and behavioral health care into one managed care program. On Thursday, his bill (HB 1940) was referred to the House Health Committee.
In 2018, RCPA wrote a position paper in support of continuing the behavioral health carve-out. In 2019, RCPA signed onto a letter from the Coalition to Preserve Behavioral HealthChoices opposing what was then HB 335.
Read Rep. Grove’s co-sponsorship memo.
Read HB 1940.
The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) sent out guidance on June 14, 2021 regarding three temporary regulatory suspensions granted by the governor’s declaration of a disaster emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic. House Bill 1861, which was signed into law today by Governor Wolf, further extends those regulatory suspensions from September 30, 2021 until March 31, 2022 unless terminated sooner. In addition to the suspensions noted in DDAP’s previous communication, one additional regulatory suspension from the Department of State, also relevant to the field, is added to the chart below and also suspended until March 31, 2022.
| Statute/Regulation | Statute/Regulation Purpose | Waiver benefit/explanation |
| 28 Pa. Code § 715.16(e) | Prohibits narcotic treatment programs (NTPs–methadone clinics) from permitting a patient to receive more than a 2-week take-home supply of medication. | In response to COVID-19, SAMHSA is allowing up to 28 days of take-home medications for patients on stable dosages, if the physician deems appropriate. |
| 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4) | Requires NTPs to make a face-to-face determination before admission to treatment, for those clients who will receive buprenorphine treatment. | In response to COVID-19, SAMHSA is allowing initial evaluations for a patient who will be treated with buprenorphine to be completed via telehealth. |
| 28 Pa. Code § 715.6(d) | Requires NTPs to have narcotic treatment physician services onsite. | In response to COVID-19, SAMHSA is allowing initial evaluations for a patient who will be treated with buprenorphine to be completed via telehealth. |
| 49 Pa. Code § 16.92(b)(1)
(Department of State) |
Before a patient can be prescribed any controlled substance in Pennsylvania, a person licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the commonwealth, or otherwise licensed or regulated by the State Board of Medicine, must take an initial medical history and conduct an initial physical examination,
unless emergency circumstances justify otherwise. |
In response to COVID-19, the Department of State suspended the initial medical history and physical examination requirement specifically for the treatment of opioid-use disorder with buprenorphine. |
Please email the Bureau of Program Licensure or call (717) 783-8675 with questions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) announce a funding opportunity to support the implementation of evidence-based approaches to prevent overdose, substance use disorders (SUD), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and other potentially traumatic events in the homes and families of those most at risk of overdose. Through this funding opportunity, NACCHO and CDC will award up to seven applicants to implement or expand programs that prevent SUD or overdose and that also have the potential to simultaneously prevent ACEs within the selected communities and populations of focus. Applicants may request up to $450,000.
For full details about the funding opportunity, please review the Request for Applications. Please email your questions about the RFA and application process.
The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), along with partners from other state agencies and treatment providers across the continuum, is beginning a monthly ASAM technical assistance series. Each month, DDAP and its partners will present up-to-date information regarding ASAM alignment or will provide training on a specific topic related to ASAM alignment. This is a time-limited series running monthly from October 2021 to October 2022 with the purpose of providing resources, training, and information to support providers with ASAM alignment across all levels of care.
More information, including dates, times, and other frequently asked questions, is available here.
At 12:00pm Thursday, Sept. 9, Spotlight PA is hosting a panel on oversight of the drug and alcohol treatment system. The discussion is an extension of Spotlight’s reporting on the Department of Drug and Alcohol Program’s regulation of the system. Jason Snyder, Director of RCPA’s Drug and Alcohol Division, will participate on the panel. Others include:
More information is available here.
Register here.
The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is providing the opportunity for public comment on the Pennsylvania Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) submission. This submission will occur in three parts: the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Assessment and Plan, or Mini-Application, which is currently available in draft and available for review; the SAPT Report, which will be posted in November; and the Annual Synar Report, which will be made available in December.
These documents can be accessed utilizing “citizenpa” as your login and “citizen” as your password. Please submit all comments by Thursday, September 30.
Prev