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Substance Use Disorder

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From RELIAS:

The well-being and safety of the individuals we serve is our top priority and will remain at the heart of every decision we make.

As you prepare for Coronavirus (COVID-19), Relias wants to directly support your efforts by providing accurate and impactful education on infection prevention and control. We are currently offering a free digital toolkit — How to Prepare for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Influenza: Training & Resources, which contains unlimited access to courses and fact-driven information regarding COVID-19 preparedness and prevention.

This toolkit will continue to be updated with the latest resources; please check back often!

We encourage you to share this toolkit with colleagues, friends, and family to help combat coronavirus. At Relias, providing these types of resources is core to our mission to measurably improve the lives of the most vulnerable members of society and those who care for them.

Thank you for helping communicate this information. In times like these we listen, we learn, and we support each other.

Explore Our Toolkit

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Late this afternoon, the Governor ordered all businesses to close at 8:00 pm tonight (Thursday, March 19), except for those considered life-sustaining. For those businesses that are not considered life-sustaining and do not close, the state will begin to take enforcement actions on Saturday, March 21, at 12:01 am.

RCPA members are considered life-sustaining businesses. For a complete chart of life-sustaining businesses, use this link.

Additional information regarding the Governor’s declaration can be found below:

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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This afternoon (Thursday, March 19), drug and alcohol stakeholders received the below email from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith. If you did not receive her email, please see it below in its entirety. The Secretary also provided helpful resources that can be found below:

Email from Sec. Smith:

Good evening,

First, I want to take an opportunity to thank each of you for the work that you are doing during this unprecedented time. As the front line of defense for our community you are making decisions and implementing procedures based on evolving guidance as we navigate unchartered waters. The department recognizes this is no easy task and fully commit to communicating timely to you as information is available.

As you develop continuity plans to mitigate COVID-19, I thought it would be helpful to share strategies that sister state agencies are adopting, as well as procedures from other states. The policies and procedures below and attached were developed for the safety of patients and staff during this time.

  • The Department of Human Services recently released guidance to restrict visitors to all state centers and state hospitals in line with the Center of Disease Control. The press release can be found here which details visitation policies that you may find useful in adopting.
  • Additionally, numerous attachments to this email are documents developed by Delaware for both patient and staff screenings in the event either party presents with COVID-19 symptoms.

With the spread of COVID-19 changing operations for the foreseeable future, continued flexibility will be key to successfully navigate this situation. One of the things that I have learned during my time in the drug and alcohol field is that this community is resilient. Thank you for your patience and your commitment to the individuals you serve. Together, we will get through this.

Jen Smith
Secretary
Drug and Alcohol Programs

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Protecting our staffs, our residents in our facilities, and our communities are paramount as we face this public health issue. VitalCore Health Strategies has created a protocol response plan that provides a very clear COVID-19 pandemic response plan and we hope you find this document beneficial for the health and safety of your facility.

The response plan is based on current guidance from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It provides an outline for infection prevention and control information that should be considered for facilities related to a COVID-19 response. Please keep in mind that the CDC’s guidance may continue to change so this plan may require updating. Please continue to visit the CDC’s website for updates. If you have any additional questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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Text of March 18 press release.

Harrisburg, PA — Health care professionals licensed under any of the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) licensing boards can provide services to patients via telemedicine during the coronavirus emergency.

“Telemedicine provides health care professionals flexibility to continue treating their patients while following best practices on social distancing as outlined by the Department of Health,” Secretary Boockvar said. “The department requested, and Governor Wolf granted us, the authority to allow health care professionals from out-of-state to treat Pennsylvania residents using telemedicine, when appropriate, due to COVID-19.”

This new guidance applies to the following boards:

o Chiropractic
o Dentistry
o Medicine
o Nursing
o Optometry
o Pharmacy
o Podiatry
o Psychology
o Osteopathic Medicine
o Nursing Home Administrators
o Occupational Therapy Education and Licensure
o Physical Therapy
o Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors
o Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
o Veterinary Medicine

Currently, no Pennsylvania law prohibits the practice of telemedicine.

Additionally, the department is working with the Governor’s office, the Department of Health, and Department of Human Services to identify regulations and requirements that can be suspended to give medical providers and facilities the flexibility they need to respond to the crisis. We will publish these notifications on our website as they become available.

Governor Wolf also granted the department’s request for a suspension to allow licensed practitioners in other states to provide services to Pennsylvanians via the use of telemedicine, without obtaining a Pennsylvania license, for the duration of the emergency. Out-of-state practitioners must:

o Be licensed and in good standing in their home state, territory, or country.

o Provide the Pennsylvania board from whom they would normally seek licensure with the following information prior to practicing telemedicine with Pennsylvanians:
• their full name, home or work mailing address, telephone number and email address; and
• their license type, license number or other identifying information that is unique to that practitioner’s license, and the state or other governmental body that issued the license.

Please submit the information requested above to the appropriate board resource account listed on the BPOA website.

All practitioners using telemedicine in Pennsylvania must remain informed on all federal and state laws, regulations and guidance regarding telemedicine, including a practitioner’s obligations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and recent guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Authorization to engage in telemedicine from a professional licensing standpoint is separate and apart from any insurance coverage/payment issues that fall under the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Insurance, or any other state or federal agency.

The Department of Human Services issued guidance for Behavioral Health Services Telemedicine here. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs released Telehealth guidance for their programs and providers here.

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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RCPA has been hearing from members regarding supplies they need to combat the COVID-19 epidemic. We have heard from members that they are running short on masks/respirators, hand sanitizers, gloves, etc. Regarding masks/respirators, RCPA understands there is a shortage of these items. Providers are in need of masks/respirators to take care of residents in group homes, inpatient facilities, etc. If a resident in one of these facilities is stricken with COVID-19, then staff will have to follow CDC protocol and be required to use masks/respirators. If providers do not have any to give to staff, then providers will have to transport the resident to the hospital. We understand hospitals would rather keep individuals in their current location.

In most instances, providers are working with their local hospitals to get masks/respirators, but there are limited quantities, if any. To try and combat this shortage, providers should contact their County Emergency Management office. RCPA understands that the mask/respirator issue is a major concern for providers and we are working with our state partners for assistance.

If providers are experiencing any other shortages such as medicine, food, or other supplies, please contact a member of the RCPA staff as soon as possible or as needs arise, so we can inform the applicable state agency. Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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RCPA was contacted by some of our Drug and Alcohol members asking about staffing ratios.  Specifically, the question asked was, will DDAP require providers to maintain inpatient ratios and outpatient group size limits? If so, providers believe treatment capacity may be severely limited.

RCPA reached out to DDAP leadership and asked if they will be providing a temporary waiver of staffing ratios to offset the likely loss of staff due to COVID-19 exposure. DDAP responded that this issue has been discussed in DDAP leadership meetings. Ultimately, DDAP has decided they will not be issuing blanket waivers for staffing ratios; however, they will consider waivers on a case by case basis.

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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