“State of Addiction” Public Hearing Set for September 25

HARRISBURG – The Center for Rural Pennsylvania, chaired by State Senator Gene Yaw, will hold a public hearing at the Commonwealth Keystone Building on Wednesday, September 25, on the heroin/opioid epidemic to gather information, including the status of and accessibility to the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).

“The Center’s work continues as we hold our 16th public hearing on Pennsylvania’s heroin/opioid crisis,” said Sen. Yaw. “The Center’s board is expecting an update on the PDMP, and how information in the database and other sources are being used at the local level for education, prevention and treatment efforts.”

The PDMP was established through Act 191 of 2014 to collect information on all filled prescriptions for controlled substances. The information collected helps health care providers safely prescribe controlled substances and it also helps patients get the treatment they need.

“The Center’s board remains committed to raising awareness about heroin/opioid addiction in Pennsylvania and helping inform and shape public policy to combat this public health crisis,” Sen. Yaw said. 

At the public hearing, Sen. Yaw will be joined by fellow Center Board Members: Board Vice Chairman Rep. Garth Everett; Board Secretary Dr. Nancy Falvo, Clarion University of Pennsylvania; Board Treasurer Stephen Brame, Governor’s representative; Sen. Katie Muth; Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski; Dr. Michael Driscoll, president of Indiana University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Lawrence Feick, University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Stephan Goetz, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development; Dr. Timothy Kelsey, Pennsylvania State University; Shannon Munro, Pennsylvania College of Technology; Dr. Joseph Nairn, founding president of Northern Pennsylvania Regional College; and Darrin Youker, Governor’s representative.

Presenters are: Dr. Thomas Farley, Philadelphia County Health Department director; Melissa Lyon, Erie County Health Department director; Barbara Kovacs, York City Health Department director; Meghna Patel, deputy secretary of Health Innovation, and Jared Shinabery, PDMP director, Pennsylvania Department of Health; Dr. Janice Pringle, Program Evaluation and Research Unit director, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy; and Michael Krafick, certified recovery specialist, Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission.

The public hearing will be held in the Commonwealth Keystone Building, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Hearing Room 5, 400 North St, Harrisburg, PA 17120, and will begin at 9 a.m.

 

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The Center works with the legislature, educators, state and federal executive branch agencies, and national, statewide, regional and local organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve Pennsylvania’s nearly 3.4 million rural residents.

 

CONTACT:

Barry Denk, Director or
Christine Caldara Piatos, Communications Manager
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania
(717) 787-9555

www.rural.palegislature.us
www.facebook.com/RuralPennsylvania
@CenterRuralPa

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