HARRISBURG, Pa., April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part
of Governor Wolf's 2015-16 budget proposal, the Department of Drug
and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced today that it is seeking
proposals from the local county drug and alcohol agencies to
address the heroin and opioid overdose epidemic.
"We know that individualized treatment conducted with clinical
integrity, is an effective solution in addressing the current
epidemic," said the DDAP Acting Secretary Gary Tennis. "This funding opportunity
will improve intervention strategies, increase the use of best
practices, and increase access to treatment through the local
counties."
The proposal asks counties to develop and implement strategies
that will provide individuals the full continuum of care while
facilitating their application for funding through Medicaid or
private insurance. In addition, the proposal calls for the
participating county to track the outcomes of opioid addicted
individuals who are referred into treatment.
Additional proposal options include developing or
enhancing current methods to access funding for treatment
services, use of medications as companions to clinically
appropriate treatment, ensuring overdose survivors are referred to
treatment, and utilizing evidence-based prevention programs.
"Many counties are already striving towards these important
initiatives and are ready to work with Pennsylvania to ensure that the right level of
treatment is provided with sufficient lengths of stay to get good
outcomes. We are excited to move forward with this initiative,"
said Tennis.
DDAP's 2015-16 budget proposal will direct $5 million toward this funding initiative and
will disburse monies to the local counties based on the following
criteria:
- Commit at least 80 percent of the total grant award to
clinically appropriate treatment and supportive medication
expenses;
- Spend no more than 20 percent of the total grant award for
outreach, education, training, prevention and case management;
- Spend no more than 20 percent of the total grant award for data
collection, performance measurement, performance assessment and
publication of outcomes data.
For more information, visit www.ddap.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Carey Miller, DDAP, 717-547-3314
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SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs