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Substance Use Disorder

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Act 66 of 2023 requires the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to conduct quarterly evaluations on workforce issues, including the barriers to entry into the workforce and efforts to address it. Results from this survey, which also asks providers which of the regulatory flexibilities enabled through Act 66 they are using, will be used to provide an annual report to the General Assembly. The report will only include aggregated – not provider-specific – data. Surveys must be completed by Oct. 25, 2024. The survey is available online. Email all questions regarding this survey to DDAP’s Bureau of Program Licensure.

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Fortifying the Future: Data Privacy & Security in Behavioral Health AI
Tuesday, October 22 at 2:00 pm ET

Registration Link

In the behavioral health world, few things are more intimate and private than a provider’s conversation with a client.

Keeping those sessions secure—and complying with always-evolving government regulations and ethics concerns — is a top priority for behavioral health organizations looking to implement an AI tool.

On October 22 at 2 11 am PT / 2pm ET, join Eleos Health for a 1-hour virtual discussion on “Fortifying the Future: Data Privacy & Security in Behavioral Health AI.”

Facilitated by Eleos Health’s VP of Customer Success Nisheeta Setlur, attendees will hear from behavioral health AI experts Raz Karmi, CISO of Eleos, and Rony Gadiwalla CIO of GRAND Mental Health, as they break down:

  • Which existing and emerging security regulations and best practices apply to behavioral health organizations—and their AI vendor partners.
  • How to navigate key AI security, compliance, and ethical concerns in a behavioral health setting.
  • What steps orgs must take to protect sensitive client information from AI-specific threats.
  • How Eleos accounts for all of the above in our industry-leading AI platform.

Register here and secure your spot. If you can’t make it live, we will send you a recording to watch at your leisure.

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Fortifying the Future: Data Privacy & Security in Behavioral Health AI
When: Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 2:00 pm ET
Register Here

In the behavioral health world, few things are more intimate and private than a provider’s conversation with a client.

Keeping those sessions secure — and complying with always-evolving government regulations and ethics concerns — is a top priority for behavioral health organizations looking to implement an AI tool.

Join Eleos Health for a 1-hour virtual discussion on “Fortifying the Future: Data Privacy & Security in Behavioral Health AI.”

Facilitated by Eleos Health’s VP of Customer Success Nisheeta Setlur, attendees will hear from behavioral health AI experts Raz Karmi, CISO of Eleos, and Rony Gadiwalla CIO of GRAND Mental Health, as they break down:

  • Which existing and emerging security regulations and best practices apply to behavioral health organizations — and their AI vendor partners.
  • How to navigate key AI security, compliance, and ethical concerns in a behavioral health setting.
  • What steps orgs must take to protect sensitive client information from AI-specific threats.
  • How Eleos accounts for all of the above in their industry-leading AI platform.

Register here and secure your spot. If you can’t make it live, Eleos will send you a recording to watch at your leisure.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) and Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH), in collaboration with the Center for Forensic Science Research & Education (CSFRE), are providing virtual trainings to clinicians and non-clinicians on best practices for caring for individuals with xylazine-associated wounds. These trainings are offered at no-cost to attendees.

The trainings will be offered in two separate two-hour sessions for individuals and organizations working in Pennsylvania.

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Last Thursday (October 3, 2024), the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Board of Medicine submitted to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) a final-omitted regulation that would allow an initial physical examination required for prescribing, administering, and dispensing controlled substances to be conducted via telehealth under certain circumstances under 49 Pa. Code § 16.92. A final-omitted regulation does not require a public comment period and is in essence an expedited process for proposing a regulation change. IRRC will hold a public meeting on November 21 to approve or disapprove the regulation.

This final-omitted regulation would enable the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to grant a statewide exception to 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4), which today requires Pennsylvania OTPs (called narcotic treatment programs in DDAP regulations) to conduct a face-to-face determination of whether an individual is currently physiologically dependent on an opioid.

In its Regulatory Analysis Form, the Department of State’s Board of Medicine wrote:

“This final-omitted rulemaking amends the Board’s regulations at § 16.92 by allowing the initial physical examination required for prescribing, administering, and dispensing controlled substances to be conducted by means of telehealth for those patients being admitted into an Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) for treatment of opioid use disorder with either buprenorphine or methadone, provided that the health care provider determines that an adequate evaluation of the patient can be accomplished via telehealth and a full in-person physical examination is completed within 14 days after admission to the OTP. This standard is the same physical examination standard utilized as a result of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs regulatory waiver issued during the COVID-19 epidemic, which proved to be safe and effective during and after the COVID-19 epidemic. This final-omitted regulation also conforms the Board’s regulations to the Federal opioid use disorder treatment standards as the Board does not wish to unnecessarily maintain a more stringent standard than required by Federal law for OTPs given the continued opioid crisis in this Commonwealth.”

In February 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published a final rule amending the federal regulations for the certification of OTPs in 42 CFR Part 8. The changes to the federal rules were used temporarily to improve access to treatment during the COVID-19 federal public health emergency. SAMHSA has now made those changes permanent, and DDAP intends to implement the updated federal rules and reduce barriers to treatment, as described in its latest Licensing Alert 07-2024. This final-omitted regulation is part of the commonwealth’s process for aligning with the final rule on 42 CFR Part 8.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will host its monthly ASAM Technical Assistance webinar at 10:00 am Monday, October 7. Staffers from the Bureaus of Quality Assurance and Administration, County Program Oversight, and Program Licensure will provide updates, including information about changes to 42 CFR Part 8, impacts to licensing, and how those changes align with the ASAM Criteria.

Past webinars and additional ASAM 3rd Edition resources are available on DDAP’s ASAM Transition page.

If you want to receive email notification of upcoming ASAM Technical Assistance webinars, email DDAP’s ASAM Resource Account.

The following information can be used to connect to each month’s webinar, including Monday’s.

Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 225 792 355 092
Passcode: fEEaG4
Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 267-332-8737,,336948391#   United States, Philadelphia
Phone Conference ID: 336 948 391#
Find a local number | Reset PIN

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Image by Dirk Wouters from Pixabay

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) is partnering with the Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG) to support a new statewide crisis intervention and response services assessment, gap analysis, and strategic planning initiative. This project will explore the intersections of the justice system and crisis response with a specific emphasis on crisis intervention team programs and their adherence to the Memphis Model, and is a component of PCCD’s federal Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Funding Plan.

Through this assessment, it is essential to hear from stakeholders at the local and state levels across the behavioral health and criminal justice systems, including community members and people with lived experience, to identify assets, gaps, and challenges within the current crisis landscape. To accomplish this, CSG will be hosting 13 listening sessions, each for specific stakeholders, starting on Oct. 21, 2024.

More information about the project, including a direct link and QR code for listening session registration, is available. If you have any questions, please email Michael Leister.

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The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) October 2024 Stakeholder Webinar is currently scheduled for Thursday, October 17 from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

Use this link to register for the webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

For those that want to join via phone:
Call-in Number: 914-614-3221
Access Code: 854-614-804

If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Director Jim Sharp.

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