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DDAP

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will host a webinar at 10:00 am on Monday, March 3, to discuss the changes to 42 CFR Part 8 and their real-world implications in treatment settings. The interactive session will feature Dr. Sarah Kawasaki and Elizabeth Ward, both from the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute’s Advancement in Recovery Opioid Treatment Program.

Add the meeting to your calendar.

Email DDAP to receive calendar invitations to upcoming webinars, which are held the first Monday of every month.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) is hosting two upcoming Clinical Supervision Trainings (CST). These in-person trainings will build on the information provided in the online training and provide participants with the opportunity to practice their clinical supervision skills. Participants will also be provided with tools to assist in assessing and working with their supervisees.

The in-person trainings are being held at:

  • Allegheny County Single County Authority, 1 Smithfield St, Pittsburgh
    Monday, March 17 – Friday, March 21
  • Pine Barn Inn, 43 Pine Barn Pl, Danville
    Monday, April 21 – Friday, April 25

Trainings are from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm each day, and there is a $300 fee to attend. Registration is limited and will be processed in the order registrations are received. Those interested in the training can register on the Training Management System website. Email DDAP’s Training inbox with any questions.

The remainder of the 2025 CST dates and regions are listed below. Once locations are confirmed, they will be updated in DDAP’s Training Management System (TMS), offering a variety of in-person and virtual training to maintain your skills and fulfill requirements.

  • Southeast Region: Monday, May 12 – Friday, May 16
  • Northwest Region: Monday, June 9 – Friday, June 13
  • Northeast Region: Monday, August 25 – Friday, August 29
  • Southcentral Region: Monday, September 15 – Friday, September 19
  • Southwest Region: Monday, October 27 – Friday, October 31
  • Southeast Region: Monday, November 3 – Friday, November 7

DDAP has approved additional options for completing this requirement for those unable to attend an event but in need of training to fulfill licensing regulation requirements.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced a joint initiative with Carlow and Waynesburg Universities to address the shortage of qualified addiction professionals within Pennsylvania’s behavioral health workforce.

Funded by DDAP, this pilot program will focus on the recruitment and retention of behavioral health professionals by providing financial assistance for participating students’ educational expenses. At its core, this initiative is designed to strengthen the substance use disorder (SUD) workforce pipeline by financially supporting master’s-level students at Carlow and Waynesburg Universities. Through the DDAP funding, both universities will offer tuition assistance, a stipend during the students’ practicum/internship with a community-based treatment provider, and additional SUD-related training offered by DDAP for students who qualify under each university’s respective programs.

Read the full press release.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) today issued Licensing Alert 08-2024 to detail the steps for SUD treatment providers to obtain a telehealth-only license from the department.

These DDAP-licensed telehealth-only providers may provide intake, evaluation, and referral, as well as outpatient or partial hospitalization services, via telehealth only without a physical plant location in Pennsylvania to individuals who are located in the commonwealth as long as the provider complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. Any DDAP-licensed provider can also provide some telehealth services as an option to in-person treatment. However, only a telehealth-only provider may provide 100 percent of its treatment services via telehealth.

DDAP will not require the provider to maintain a physical location in Pennsylvania. DDAP also will grant all telehealth-only providers an exception to § 709.11(b) regarding the requirement to conduct an onsite inspection for the renewal of a license as part of licensure.

Licensing Alert 08-2024 applies only to DDAP licensure. Providers that are considering applying for a telehealth-only license should consult their public and private insurance payers to confirm whether they will meet conditions for network enrollment and payment, as DDAP cannot guarantee a DDAP-licensed telehealth-only provider funding or a contract.

The full licensing alert provides additional information, including how to apply for the license.

Contact RCPA SUD Treatment Services Policy Director Jason Snyder with any questions.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced the availability of $2.5 million in grant funding for community-based organizations and public health programs to help improve Pennsylvanians’ access to existing substance use disorder (SUD) recovery houses that are licensed through DDAP.

Funding for these grants is provided from opioid settlement funding that was appropriated to DDAP by the General Assembly, which was the result of a multistate investigation of opioid manufacturers and distributors spearheaded by then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro that led to settlement agreements worth billions of dollars. That money is to be invested in opioid remediation programs and initiatives.

Read the full press release here.

Please reach out to RCPA SUD Policy Director Jason Snyder with any questions.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced an investment of nearly $20 million for 12 Pennsylvania organizations to expand drop-in center services for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) across Pennsylvania. Funding for these grants is provided, in part, from the portion of opioid settlement funding that was appropriated to DDAP by the General Assembly for the 2023/24 fiscal year.

All awardees have at least two years of experience providing SUD prevention, intervention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support services, drop-in center services, and/or relevant services, and have the capacity to provide drop-in center services to individuals with opioid use disorder and other SUDs. In addition, these grants are also designed to support the delivery of services to address stimulant misuse and use disorders, including cocaine and methamphetamines. DDAP is awarding 12 grants of up to $1,875,000 each for a 29-month period from February 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027.

Read the full press release here.

Please reach out to RCPA SUD Policy Director Jason Snyder with any questions.

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) has published a survey titled “Family Members Training Needs” to hear about the training and educational needs of family members or significant others whose loved one may be struggling with drug or alcohol use, receiving substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, or in recovery. DDAP is also seeking to learn more about how to improve the navigation of the SUD services system. The survey should be completed no later than January 6, 2025.

DDAP encourages both those who have someone close to them struggling with SUD and those who do not have someone close to them but who are interested in learning more about educational opportunities to complete the survey.

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), in partnership with Penn State Harrisburg’s Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research, Shatterproof, and PGP, also known as The Public Good Projects, announced findings from the fourth year of the Life Unites Us campaign, an evidence-based approach to reducing the stigma of substance use disorder (SUD).

During its fourth year, the campaign served over nine million impressions to almost two million Pennsylvanians with information and messaging to encourage stigma reduction.Life Unites Us is a people-forward, research-driven campaign that DDAP launched in September 2020. The campaign utilizes social media to spread stories of individuals in recovery, their family members, and allies who support those with SUD. Additionally, the campaign gives local organizations an opportunity to learn through webinars, fosters community partnerships to promote recovery-focused support at the local level, and maintains an interactive data dashboard detailing the campaign’s progress.

Read the complete press release here.

For more information, contact RCPA Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services Director Jason Snyder.

Despite opposition and concerns from substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers, single county authorities, primary contractors, and behavioral health managed care organizations, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) will begin licensing telehealth-only SUD treatment providers.

DDAP will issue a licensing alert on Wednesday, December 4, detailing the new licensure category.

Organizations newly licensed under this tele-only category will be able to provide intake, evaluation, and referral services, as well as outpatient treatment, including partial hospitalization services, via telehealth only, without a physical plant location in Pennsylvania.

DDAP’s intention in licensing telehealth-only providers is to hold them to the same standards as facility-based providers as a way to ensure equity and maintain operational standards. DDAP will continue to monitor complaints and unusual incidents for all licensed providers, as well as the number of telehealth-only license applications that are made over time, looking for any trends that could require additional action.

RCPA and its provider members opposed creation of the new license, citing patient safety and quality concerns, as well as potential erosion of the community-based provider system. RCPA hosted DDAP for a discussion about its concerns, met one-on-one with the department, and provided written feedback to DDAP. In addition, RCPA met with the governor’s Policy Office, to discuss provider concerns.

DDAP will attend RCPA’s next SUD Committee meeting at 11:00 am on Tuesday, December 10. RCPA has asked DDAP to discuss the new license category. RCPA members wanting to attend this meeting can register here.