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Substance Use Disorder

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The FDA has approved and authorized for emergency use updated COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 formula) that include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2. These vaccines were updated to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by circulating variants. Two vaccines are available for use in the United States: 2024–2025 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. There is no preference for one vaccine over the other when more than one vaccine is recommended for an age group

Who should get the vaccine?

Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are:

  • Ages 65 and older,
  • At high risk for severe COVID-19
  • Have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Are living in a long-term care facility
  • Are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.
  • Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID

People who recently had COVID-19:

  • People who recently had COVID-19 may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months.
  • The risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:

  • Personal risk of severe COVID-19
  • Risk of COVID-19 in a family or household member or other close contact
  • local levels of COVID-19 illness

Keep in mind‎:

  • Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer, more reliable way to build protection than getting sick with COVID-19.

RCPA will be hosting our fall golf outing to support the RCPA PAC on Monday, September 23, 2024, in conjunction with the Annual Conference. Conference attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and presenters can now register to participate in the RCPA PAC’s golf outing at the Colonial Golf & Tennis Club at 4901 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112. Registration and lunch will be held from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, with the shotgun start beginning at 12:00 pm.

Sponsorships are available for this worthwhile cause. We hope you will consider becoming a golf outing sponsor; it is a great way for your organization to receive name recognition as well as an opportunity to support the RCPA fundraiser!

Not a golfer but would still like to support the RCPA PAC? For your convenience, you can now make a personal online contribution, which will provide financial support to state legislators or representatives who have demonstrated a strong, consistent, and positive interest in our legislative priorities. If you are interested in learning more about the RCPA PAC or donating, please visit our website, download the PAC FAQ Card and Donation Card, or email Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.

See you on the golf course! If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Christine Tartaglione.

This is a final reminder that early bird rates for the 2024 RCPA Conference Embracing Challenges, Empowering Success end this Friday, August 23! View our registration brochure for complete details, including Connections Hall networking opportunities, plenary and keynote speakers, and booking your hotel room at the Hershey Lodge. Please be aware that conference hotel rates end August 30, 2024. You can also visit our Conference website for the latest information.

Register Here for the 2024 RCPA Conference

Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, with any questions. We look forward to seeing you at the Hershey Lodge!

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will kick off Recovery Month on Thursday, September 12, at Soldiers and Sailors Grove in the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg with “Share the Hope: A Recovery Story.” The event will include wellness activities and demonstrations, speakers, food trucks, mobile clinic tours, and more.

In addition to the kick-off event, DDAP will host several other Recovery Month events.

September is National Recovery Month, a national observance held every year. The goal of Recovery Month, according to DDAP, is to come together, celebrate individuals in recovery, and offer hope to those who are struggling with a substance use disorder. It reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover from the disease of addiction.

You can send Recovery Month-related questions electronically.

Supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding, the Pennsylvania Statewide Tobacco-Free Recovery Initiative (PA STFRI) facilitates partnerships among academia, state agencies, county public health departments, treatment providers, and recovery advocates to advance recovery-oriented evidence-based tobacco use disorder interventions in behavioral health services.

In 2021 Public Health Management Corporation’s Research & Evaluation Group conducted a readiness assessment to identify the status of tobacco interventions within behavioral health. The survey is being repeated this year, and respondents are being sought for the 2024 Behavioral Health Readiness Assessment. The survey will take less than 15 minutes to complete and closes August 31, 2024. Respondents are not asked their name, and responses are not linked to the respondent.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is providing the opportunity for public comment on the Pennsylvania Substance Use Prevention Treatment and Recovery Services Block Grant application submission.

This submission will occur in three parts:

  • The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Assessment and Plan;
  • The SUPTRS Report, which will be posted in November; and
  • The Annual Synar Report, which will be made available in December.

These documents can be accessed through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Use “citizenpa” as the login and “citizen” as the password.

Submit all comments electronically by September 30.

Time is running out — early bird rates for the 2024 RCPA Conference end next Friday, August 23! Register today to reserve your spot and gain access to over 60 engaging, educational workshops. You can view our registration brochure for complete details, including Connections Hall networking opportunities, plenary and keynote speakers, and booking your hotel room. You can also visit our Conference website for the latest information.

Register Here for the 2024 RCPA Conference

Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, with any questions. We look forward to seeing you at the Hershey Lodge!