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Furthermore, the governor said he is challenging all state agencies to come up with innovative ways to eradicate the opioid epidemic. He said, “Seek solutions that last long beyond our tenure in this building.”

Focus areas and initiatives to fight heroin and opioid epidemic

Under the government declaration, Pennsylvania will focus on three areas. Under these focus areas are 13 total initial initiatives that will be implemented by the state government to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic.

1. Enhancing coordination and data collection to bolster state and local response

• Create an opioid operational command center at Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
• Expand access to prescription drug monitoring program to other commonwealth entities for clinical decision-making purposes
• Add overdoses and neonatal abstinence syndrome as reportable conditions
• Authorize emergency purchase under procurement code for hotline contract with current vendor

2. Improving tools for families, first responders, and others to save lives

• Enable naloxone leave behind by emergency medical services
• Allow pharmacists to partner with other organizations to increase access to naloxone
• Reschedule of fentanyl derivatives to align with federal drug enforcement agency schedule
• Streamline a pilot program using an advanced body scanner

3. Speeding up and expanding access to treatments

• Waive the face-to-face physician requirement for narcotic treatment program (ntp) admissions
• Allow expansion of medication units for narcotic treatment programs
• Pennsylvania will waive annual licensing requirements for high performing drug and alcohol treatment facilities
• The state will wave fees for birth certificates for individuals with substance use disorder
• It will waive separate licensing requirement for hospitals to expand access to drug and alcohol treatment