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Substance Use Disorder

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced the availability of $2.5 million in grant funding for community-based organizations and public health programs to help improve Pennsylvanians’ access to existing substance use disorder (SUD) recovery houses that are licensed through DDAP.

Funding for these grants is provided from opioid settlement funding that was appropriated to DDAP by the General Assembly, which was the result of a multistate investigation of opioid manufacturers and distributors spearheaded by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro that led to settlement agreements worth billions of dollars. That money is to be invested in opioid remediation programs and initiatives.

Read the full press release here.

Please reach out to RCPA SUD Policy Director Jason Snyder with any questions.

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PITTSBURGH (December 17, 2024) – Pittsburgh Mercy, one of the region’s largest social service nonprofit organizations serving more than 18,000 vulnerable individuals annually, a member of Trinity Health, and serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, today announced two appointments to its 2025 Board of Directors: Denise R. Hughes, director of Public Relations at UPMC Health Plan, and Paul K. Rudoy, a tax partner at H2R CPA.

Each will serve a three-year term, effective January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027.

Rudoy served for over 20 years and Hughes served for three years on the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors. Bethlehem Haven became part of Pittsburgh Mercy and its award-winning homeless services continuum of care in 2016.

“We are thrilled to have Denise and Paul join the Pittsburgh Mercy Board. Having a strong, deeply committed, and diverse group of trustees who have hearts for our Sisters of Mercy legacy and tradition of service to the most vulnerable is core to our mission and who we are as an organization,” stated Tony Beltran, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy. “In addition to bringing their own unique talents and expertise, as legacy members of the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors, Denise and Paul also will bring valuable perspectives to help our Board ensure the continued growth and success of our health ministry, our revered mission, and our renowned tradition of service to the most vulnerable in our community.”

Hughes brings to the Pittsburgh Mercy Board more than 20 years of experience and expertise as an award-winning, senior-level marketing and public relations professional in nonprofit and for-profit corporate communications. She currently leads all facets of public relations strategy for UPMC Health Plan, one of the nation’s fastest growing health plans, including public and media relations, content creation, and crisis communications. Before joining UPMC Health Plan, Hughes previously held management-level marketing-communications positions at Westinghouse Electric Company and Peoples Natural Gas and served as a communications consultant to The McCreary Group.

In addition to her service to the Pittsburgh Mercy Board and her former service on the Bethlehem Haven Board, Hughes is a board member and treasurer of the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania and a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Hughes is the recipient of numerous business and health care marketing communications industry awards, including PR Daily’s Nonprofit PR Awards (2021, 2024), a Ragan’s PR Daily’s Social Media & Digital Awardee (2023), and a graduate of The Advanced Leadership Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program (2023).

Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications at Carlow University, founded by the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy, and a Master of Science degree in leadership with a concentration in business ethics at Duquesne University.

Hughes resides in Cranberry Township, Pa.

Rudoy, who is a certified public accountant (CPA), a personal financial specialist (PFS), and a licensed life insurance and annuities agent, has more than 30 years of experience in tax, strategic consulting, and estate and succession planning for individuals and closely held businesses. He spends most of his professional time devoted to growth strategies, succession planning, tax and investment matters, and business consulting services.

Rudoy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at Pennsylvania State University.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), where he served as past president and a member of the State Taxation Committee.

In addition to his past service as treasurer and a board member on the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors, Rudoy is also past president of the Pittsburgh Glass Center Board of Directors.

He also serves as treasurer of the Jewish Residential Foundation Board and a board member of the North American Board – MGI Association.

Rudoy and his family reside in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.

With the appointments of Hughes and Rudoy, the 2025 Pittsburgh Mercy Board of Directors and officers are:

Mark D. Gibbons, CPA (Chairperson)
Audit Partner, Assurance Service Practice Leader
Urish Popeck & Co., LLC

Tony Beltran, MBA (Secretary)
President & CEO
Pittsburgh Mercy

Rhonda N. Curry
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Gateway Health Plan

Jaime C. Dircksen
Vice President, Community Health & Well-Being
Trinity Health

Denise R. Hughes
Director of Public Relations
UPMC Health Plan

Robert A. James, JD, MBA, MHA
Chief Diversity & Strategic Growth Officer
CGT Staffing

Sister Diane Matje, RSM, RN, MSN
Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy

Manzoor Mohideen, PhD
Director of Clinical Trial Operations, Academic Research Center for Hematology, Section of Benign Hematology, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Visala S. Muluk, MD
Director of Medicine
Pittsburgh Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center

Suresh C. Ramanathan
President & CEO
KORYAK

Paul K. Rudoy, CPA/PFS
Partner
H2R CPA

Jared S. Weiner
Chief Financial Officer, Western PA Hospital Division
UPMC

Olga Ziegler
Vice President, Revenue Program Management
Highmark Health Inc.

Editor’s note: Color headshots of Denise R. Hughes and Paul K. Rudoy accompany this release. Kindly credit: Photos courtesy of Pittsburgh Mercy.

About Pittsburgh Mercy

Pittsburgh Mercy is one of the largest community health and social service providers and employers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We offer help – and hope – to 18,000 of our community’s most vulnerable in 60+ locations:

  • People who have complex behavioral and physical health challenges.
  • People who have intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • People who are experiencing homelessness
  • People who need wrap-around services to live safe, healthy, and well in the community.

We are the largest Integrated Community Wellness Center (ICWC) in Pennsylvania and the only one in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We are a five-time awardee of Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) expansion grants. Pittsburgh Mercy is a member of Trinity Health, serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy. Our mission is to be a compassionate and transforming, healing presence within our communities. To learn more about Pittsburgh Mercy or to donate in support of its important work in the community, please visit www.pittsburghmercy.org. Follow Pittsburgh Mercy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced an investment of nearly $20 million for 12 Pennsylvania organizations to expand drop-in center services for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) across Pennsylvania. Funding for these grants is provided, in part, from the portion of opioid settlement funding that was appropriated to DDAP by the General Assembly for the 2023/24 fiscal year.

All awardees have at least two years of experience providing SUD prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support services, drop-in center services, and/or relevant services, and have the capacity to provide drop-in center services to individuals with opioid use disorder and other SUDs. In addition, these grants are also designed to support the delivery of services to address stimulant misuse and use disorders, including cocaine and methamphetamines. DDAP is awarding 12 grants of up to $1,875,000 each for a 29-month period from February 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027.

Read the full press release here.

Please reach out to RCPA SUD Policy Director Jason Snyder with any questions.

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The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) has published a survey titled “Family Members Training Needs” to hear about the training and educational needs of family members or significant others whose loved one may be struggling with drug or alcohol use, receiving substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, or in recovery. DDAP is also seeking to learn more about how to improve the navigation of the SUD services system. The survey should be completed no later than January 6, 2025.

DDAP encourages both those who have someone close to them struggling with SUD and those who do not have someone close to them but who are interested in learning more about educational opportunities to complete the survey.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), in partnership with Penn State Harrisburg’s Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research, Shatterproof, and PGP, also known as The Public Good Projects, announced findings from the fourth year of the Life Unites Us campaign, an evidence-based approach to reducing the stigma of substance use disorder (SUD).

During its fourth year, the campaign served over nine million impressions to almost two million Pennsylvanians with information and messaging to encourage stigma reduction.Life Unites Us is a people-forward, research-driven campaign that DDAP launched in September 2020. The campaign utilizes social media to spread stories of individuals in recovery, their family members, and allies who support those with SUD. Additionally, the campaign 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.

Read the complete press release here.

For more information, contact RCPA Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services Director Jason Snyder.

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Despite opposition and concerns from substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers, single county authorities, primary contractors, and behavioral health managed care organizations, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will begin licensing telehealth-only SUD treatment providers.

DDAP will issue a licensing alert on Wednesday, December 4, detailing the new licensure category.

Organizations newly licensed under this tele-only category will be able to provide intake, evaluation, and referral services, as well as outpatient treatment, including partial hospitalization services, via telehealth only, without a physical plant location in Pennsylvania.

DDAP’s intention in licensing telehealth-only providers is to hold them to the same standards as facility-based providers as a way to ensure equity and maintain operational standards. DDAP will continue to monitor complaints and unusual incidents for all licensed providers, as well as the number of telehealth-only license applications that are made over time, looking for any trends that could require additional action.

RCPA and its provider members opposed creation of the new license, citing patient safety and quality concerns, as well as potential erosion of the community-based provider system. RCPA hosted DDAP for a discussion about its concerns, met one-on-one with the department, and provided written feedback to DDAP. In addition, RCPA met with the governor’s Policy Office, to discuss provider concerns.

DDAP will attend RCPA’s next SUD Committee meeting at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 10. RCPA has asked DDAP to discuss the new license category. RCPA members wanting to attend this meeting can register here.

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As RCPA previously communicated, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), jointly with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has extended the temporary COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2025. These flexibilities enable prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine. As such, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ (DDAP) suspension of 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4), which allows an initial evaluation for a person who will be treated by an opioid treatment program (OTP) with buprenorphine to be completed via telehealth, is also extended.

DDAP’s complete Information Bulletin 03-2024 is available here.

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