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Substance Use Disorder

Earlier this week, RCPA submitted its position on SB 962 to the Pennsylvania Senate Health and Human Services Committee. SB 962 would force overdose survivors into treatment for substance use disorder.

RCPA opposes SB 962 because of:

  • The enormous burden placed on providers to manage an unfunded and complex involuntary treatment process;
  • The perpetuation of stigma towards the disease of addiction by introducing the complexity and trauma of the judicial system to the treatment of a disease – not the commission of a crime; and
  • Scant evidence that this approach reduces overdoses and death.

Read RCPA’s full position paper on SB 962. You can also view the memo announcing SB 962 as well as the language of the bill.

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will host a Region 3 virtual town hall, “Expanding the Behavioral Health Workforce: Common Elements Treatment Approach,” from 9:45 am – 12:00 pm on Tuesday, December 5, 2024. The purpose of the town hall is to share information and outcomes about an innovative solution to address workforce challenges with rural, veteran, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), and international examples.

Information is now available about the event’s speakers, including the agenda. Interested participants can register online. For inquiries, contact Jean Bennett or Jeanne Tuono of SAMHSA.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) published a bulletin on patient smoking on June 15, 1993, to clarify smoke-free living areas. The Department now requires all state hospitals to be smoke-free facilities, which was announced during the Department’s press release on December 11, 2018. The facilities are to offer smoking cessation programs and support as needed, including nicotine patches, gum, or other replacement items permissible for both patients (if approved/supported by the treatment team, primarily for new admissions) and staff.

View the full announcement on rescission of Bulletin SMH-93-02, Patient Smoking, here. Comments and questions regarding this bulletin should be directed via email.

If you have additional questions or would like RCPA to submit comments, please contact RCPA Mental Health Services Policy Director Jim Sharp.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will launch a new Training Management System (TMS) in January 2024. To facilitate the transition, the current TMS and DDAP courses in TrainPA will be frozen at 3:00 pm Thursday, December 7, until the system’s launch on January 4, 2024. DDAP emphasizes the importance of verifying matching email addresses in both systems to mitigate potential record loss during the migration process. Users are strongly encouraged to conclude any ongoing TrainPA trainings and finalize pending course evaluations within the current TMS before the freeze period. For further assistance, users may contact the DDAP Training Section via email.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced today that 312 recovery houses are now licensed throughout the commonwealth.

Since the licensure program began, DDAP has provided hands-on technical assistance to recovery house owners and continues to work individually with applicants to ensure accurate submissions when applying. DDAP developed and now offers a new provider workshop that has helped to increase accuracy of applications, which further streamlines and expedites the licensure process.

The purpose of DDAP’s recovery house licensure program is to help empower sustained recovery for individuals with substance use disorder by ensuring a network of safe drug and alcohol recovery houses across Pennsylvania.

A listing of licensed recovery houses as well as information regarding the licensing application process can be found on the DDAP website.

Read the complete press release.