Harrisburg, PA – The Wolf Administration today hosted its second regional meeting of the Opioid Command Center at the Family First Health in downtown York as part of the governor’s continuing heroin and opioid disaster declaration.
“Taking the Opioid Command Center on the road is the logical next step for this ongoing battle against the heroin and opioid crisis in Pennsylvania,” Governor Wolf said. “During the first 90 days and continuing into the second 90, we have been focused on data collection and initiative implementation, so now we are able to go into various regions of the state to share what we’ve collected about that region and the progress we’ve made, as well as to listen to the needs and efforts unique to this area.”
The meeting was hosted by representatives of the Wolf Administration who lead the Opioid Command Center, including Dr. Rachel Levine, Secretary of the Department of Health; Rick Flinn, Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency; Ellen DiDomenico, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs; Ray Barishansky, Opioid Operational Command Center Incident Commander; Lindsay Vaughn, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency; and Karina Reed, the Pennsylvania State Police. Various stakeholder groups from the York region joined in the open discussion after the formal portion of the meeting.
Dr. Levine highlighted progress on several initiatives introduced since Gov. Wolf signed the first 90-day Heroin and Opioid Disaster Declaration in January:
- Expanded access to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to other commonwealth departments for clinical decision-making purposes. Numerous local and state departments have already gained access to the database, and neighboring states are now connected to Pennsylvania’s PDMP.
Since the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program went into effect, York County has 12.5 percent fewer prescriptions for opioids.
- Waived fees for birth certificates for individuals with opioid use disorders, allowing them faster access to treatment and benefits. To date, 242 birth certificates have been expedited through this process to help get people into treatment faster.
- Added non-fatal overdoses and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) as reportable conditions. More than 78 percent of hospitals and birthing centers in the state are now reporting cases of NAS. Note that some may be not be reporting because they have no cases, which is the preferred circumstance.
- Waived annual licensing requirements for high-performing drug and alcohol treatment facilities and have already seen 196 eligible facilities apply for and receive two-year licenses, ensuring continued, high-quality treatment for OUD sufferers.
- The Opioid Data Dashboard was created to help the public gain access to information about what resources are available locally, and where those resources need to be deployed. The dashboard can be viewed here.
In 2016, 3,230 individuals in York County with opioid-use disorder were covered by Medicaid and 2,092 of those individuals were covered by Medicaid due to the expansion Gov. Wolf implemented, meaning that for many people this is the first time they were able to access treatment for addiction.
“We are making progress, but we need to stay the course and remain focused on the very important work of the Opioid Command Center to prevent addiction and help those suffering from substance use disorder into treatment and on the path to recovery,” Dr. Levine said.
More information on the Wolf Administration’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and how people suffering from this disease can get help is here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Nate Wardle, Department of Health, 717-783-1783
Ali Fogarty, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, 717-547-3314
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