Furthermore, the legislation allows the Health Secretary to waive regulations, create new temporary regulations, and publish notice in the Pennsylvania Bulettin for tracking and treating a disease. It also allows public workers to provide treatment to control the epidemic.
The Pennsylvania Senate already approved the legislation. It is currently in the House Health Committee for deliberation.
Pennsylvania needs to build on its efforts to prevent opioid epidemic
Since January, Wolf’s administration implemented a series of initiatives to fight the opioid epidemic including:
- expanding the drug take-back program;
- making naxolone available to all Pensylvanians;
- starting a help hotline for individuals seeking treatment;
- ending policies that delay access to treatment for opioid addiction;
- releasing opioid prescribing guidelines to health care providers;
- granting annual licensing requirement exemptions to high-performing drug and alcohol treatment providers
Wolf emphasized the importance of “building on our efforts at prevention, rescue and treatment…and moving forward with Senate Bill 1001.”
