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Substance Use Disorder

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is extending the methadone take-home flexibilities for one year, effective upon the eventual expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). This exemption is a continuation of the take-home medication flexibilities that SAMHSA put in place in March 2020 and is in keeping with the newly announced Health and Human Services (HHS) Overdose Prevention Strategy. SAMHSA is also considering mechanisms to make this flexibility permanent. Visit here for more information.

HB 1995, which would require the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to go through the regulatory review process any time it makes changes that would affect licensed drug and alcohol treatment providers, today passed the House of Representatives and heads to the Senate for concurrence. The next scheduled Senate session days are December 13–15.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Carrie Lewis-DelRosso, specifically outlines the following instances in which DDAP would be required to promulgate regulations:

  • The implementation of new or additional licensing requirements for drug and alcohol facilities;
  • The implementation of new or additional drug and alcohol staff credentialing requirements;
  • The implementation of new or additional drug and alcohol counselor staffing ratios; and
  • The implementation of new or major programmatic changes and requirements imposed on drug and alcohol facilities, including the requirement of adding programs that significantly increase the cost of delivering care and meeting staffing requirements.

The legislation includes any proposed regulatory requirement not currently in effect or any regulatory requirement that the General Assembly has delayed through legislation.

Contact Jason Snyder, Director of Drug and Alcohol Division, with any questions.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in partnership with the Northwestern Pennsylvania Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Coalition and the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative, have created the NAS Family Guide Toolkit to help educate families and individuals about NAS, treatment options, and other supports. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a group of withdrawal symptoms in newborns that show up after being exposed to medications or substances, most often opioids, benzodiazepines, and/or barbiturates, during pregnancy.

The Partnership on Inclusive Apprenticeship released a guide on “Creating Inclusive Virtual & Hybrid Apprenticeships: What Apprentice Learned During COVID-19.” This guide discusses how Apprentice, a technology apprenticeship intermediary, successfully transitioned to a 100% virtual environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their experience shows how apprenticeship programs can actively transform their business models to recruit and support apprentices with disabilities. The guide offers valuable insights, approaches and lessons learned to help other organizations shift to remote work. Read “Creating Inclusive Virtual & Hybrid Apprenticeships: What Apprentice Learned During COVID-19” here.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), in partnership with Shatterproof, is in the process of implementing the ATLAS (Addiction Treatment Locator, Analysis, and Standards) platform in Pennsylvania over the coming months.

ATLAS is a free, multi-state, web-based platform that will help ensure that Pennsylvanians are able to quickly and easily access addiction treatment resources and information that meets their individual needs. Shatterproof will be contacting providers with instructions for the completion of the Treatment Data Survey. Provider participation in ATLAS is not mandatory. To this point, nearly 40 providers have completed the survey.

The following resources are available to help complete the survey.