**On Thursday morning, the New York Times reported that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration restored grant funding following pushback. This story was updated at 11:10 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2026.
Read article here.
Yesterday, January 15, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro, alongside Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones and Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, led a roundtable discussion at Wyoming County Emergency Management Agency on efforts to save lives, prevent fatal overdoses, and support families struggling with substance use disorder. The visit followed the release of the Shapiro Administration’s Overdose Prevention Program Annual Report, which details significant progress in reducing overdose deaths across Pennsylvania.
Between October 2024 and September 2025, frontline organizations reported over 11,400 overdose reversals linked to naloxone distributed through the Administration’s initiative — representing thousands of lives saved through timely intervention. Early estimates show that in 2025, Pennsylvania saw the fewest overdose deaths in more than a decade.
Drexel University Behavioral Healthcare Education (BHE) will be hosting their second Annual One-Day Summit “Hot Topics: Trends and Challenges in Behavioral Healthcare,” on Friday, May 29, 2026, which will be held virtually via Zoom. The BHE team invites you to submit an abstract for a 60-minute workshop, which will consist of 50 minutes for the presentation and 10 minutes for questions and answers.
The deadline to submit proposals is Friday, February 27, 2026.
Please note: Although presenters will not be financially compensated for their presentations, all presenters are invited to attend the entirety of the summit, earning the maximum number of continuing education credits free of charge.
For more details and the proposal submission form, refer to the BHE Conferences website.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) reminds quality management (QM) certificate holders who achieved certification/recertification during calendar year 2024, that they must recertify by December 31, 2026. Maintaining certification through recertifying every two years is highly recommended to keep QM skills honed and refreshed. Additional information on the QM process is included in ODPANN 26-010.
The Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) shared information on how the Provider Technology Solutions Readiness Assessment can guide your agency towards innovation and transformative technology adoption for the people you support. Customized for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Provider Readiness Assessment is a self-administered evaluation designed for service provider organizations interested in adopting or expanding the use of supportive technology and technology solutions for people with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians. The results of this assessment will assist your organization in understanding areas of strengths and needs for successful technology implementation and provide recommendations for sustainable change.
Handouts shared today:
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