Erie, PA - Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones continued the agency’s statewide stakeholder engagement tour today in Erie County to hear top issues and concerns surrounding the opioid and overdose crises. DDAP’s goal is to gather feedback that will help craft the agency’s plan for increased community and treatment provider engagement while also gaining stakeholder insight to assist the agency’s work on regulatory reform.
“This is an opportunity to hear from direct service providers and other responders in Erie County regarding what they’re currently experiencing in terms of successes and challenges in their management of these public health crises,” said Secretary Davis-Jones. “This engagement tour is a necessary step forward in the Shapiro Administration’s all-hands-on-deck, multidisciplinary approach and how we shape our state plan in combating the overdose and opioid crises.”
DDAP is prioritizing gaining stakeholder insight to assist the agency with its regulatory reform initiative. Specifically, the agency’s objectives for the regulatory reform initiative include:
· Organizing regulations in a way that makes sense for both providers and patients reading them;
· Updating terminology to use current and consistent terms using plain language while avoiding stigmatizing language; and
· Ensuring regulations are specifically focused and designed to promote client safety, quality care, and positive outcomes and elevate the patient experience.
The goals of DDAP’s engagement tour align with Governor Josh Shapiro’s Executive Order signed on October 10, 2023 to establish the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Council, which will bring together state leaders, local governments, and community providers to develop and recommend to the Governor the implementation of a statewide action plan that addresses how to deliver timely and quality mental health and addiction care services, in a culturally relevant, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented manner, through an evidence-based behavioral delivery system.
As part of this stop, Secretary Davis-Jones met with leaders of Stairways Behavioral Health Gage House, which is a 15-bed residential treatment facility that provides services for substance use and mental health disorders, as well as Stairways Outpatient Clinic, which provides various outpatient, partial hospitalization, and recovery services for individuals with substance use disorder in Erie.
Secretary Davis-Jones was joined by the Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, elected officials, SUD treatment providers, recovery organizations, and other stakeholders for a roundtable discussion on efforts to manage the overdose crisis in Erie County.
The county’s drug and alcohol office administers drug and alcohol prevention programs and residential and outpatient treatment programs. The case management unit provides drug and alcohol screenings, assessments, treatment referrals and monitoring, along with case management support. In addition, the office provides treatment to priority populations such as pregnant women, overdose survivors, and veterans.
“Increased communication and collaboration with DDAP will help Erie stakeholders combat substance use disorder in our community,” said Erie County Office of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Executive Director Scott Coughenour. “DDAP’s stakeholder engagement tour highlights the fact that our partners at the state level are fully committed to assisting and supporting individuals in Erie who may need help navigating the journey to treatment and recovery.
DDAP recently awarded nearly $1 million to organizations serving Erie County that will help to:
· establish or expand SUD services, community outreach and education to underrepresented communities struggling with the opioid overdose crisis;
· establish a regional recovery hub to enhance resources for individuals in recovery and promote recovery within Erie County and the surrounding region.
Stakeholders of the tour include individuals in recovery and those with lived experience, service providers, active service recipients, community leaders, schools, corrections units, and more. The tour will seek to reach communities and voices less frequently heard. Future tour stops will include southcentral Pennsylvania, Luzerne County, and additional regions of the Commonwealth.
Throughout the remainder of the tour, DDAP will seek to engage stakeholders on SUD issues related to:
· regulations and reform efforts
· data requirements and modernization needs
· health equity work and advancement
· treatment slot management
· improving departmental communications.
Learn more about the Shapiro Administration’s efforts in combating the overdose crisis at pa.gov/opioids.
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephany Dugan - ra-dapressoffice@pa.gov
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