“But in Pennsylvania, the problem is visible—in the lives lost. The families broken. The communities shaken.” – Gov. Tom Wolf to a Joint Session of the General Assembly, September 28, 2016.

Gov. Tom Wolf addressed a special Joint Session of the General Assembly this morning, calling on members to work together to take meaningful steps to address the Commonwealth’s ever-growing opioid addiction crisis.  “Every day, we lose 10 Pennsylvanians to the disease of addiction,” stated Wolf, adding that in the “past year alone, we’ve lost over 3,500 Pennsylvanians to addiction—a thousand more lives taken in the year before.”

Opting to address the legislature in a joint session and encourage passage of bills already in the legislative pipeline instead of calling a special session which would have required starting the process from the ground up, Wolf thanked members for their work to date.  Wolf acknowledged Republican and Democratic Leaders in both the House and Senate, as well as Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Bradford) for his work on this issue through the Center for Rural Pennsylvania and Sen. John Wozniak (D-Cambria), Rep. Sid Kavulich (D-Lackawanna) and Rep. Garth Everett (R-Lycoming) for lending their voices to the issue. Gov. Wolf also recognized the work of the bipartisan and joint HOPE (Heroin Opioid Prevention and Education Caucus), led by Reps. Ed Gainey (D-Allegheny), Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne), Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks), and Sens. Gene Yaw, Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), and Pat Vance (R-Cumberland), all long-time leaders on addiction issues.

Work to date on the opioid crisis includes: an increase in the state budget of $20 million for new treatment centers; expanding Medicaid to more Pennsylvanians so they can receive access to care, a new Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, spearheaded by Sen. Vance; making naloxone available to police departments;  a state-wide standing order issued by Physician General Rachel Levine to allow all Pennsylvanians to access naloxone without a prescription;  and the creation of new take-back boxes of prescription drugs.

However, there is more to be done. Gov. Wolf is asking the General Assembly to enact legislation to do the following:

  • Require pharmacists to enter data into the drug database within 24 hours (within 72 hours is the current requirement);
  • Strengthen programs that identify and discourage doctor-shopping;
  • Limit prescriptions of opioids at emergency rooms to a seven-day supply with no refills;
  • Limit prescriptions to minors;
  • Require insurance companies to cover abuse deterrent opioids;
  • Require opioid education for school students;
  • Allow patients to self-exclude for opioid prescriptions.

Many of the legislative measures above are well positioned for final passage in the remaining days of session.

  • H.B. 1295 (DiGirolamo, R-Bucks): Includes Suboxone related deaths and incidents for review under the Methadone Death and Incident Review Act.
  • H.B. 1698 (Heffley, R-Carbon): Requires insurance plans provide access to abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drugs & apply cost-sharing provisions.
  • H.B. 1699 (Brown, R., R-Monroe): Prohibits emergency providers from prescribing long-acting opioid painkillers in emergency rooms and places a limit on discharge prescriptions.
  • H.B. 1737 (Maher, R-Allegheny): Enables Pennsylvania’s waste-to-energy facilities to provide destruction of pharmaceuticals.
  • H.B. 1805 (Masser, R-Northumberland): Requires individuals who are applying for a license or certification to have met a certain number of approved continuing medical education classes which address addiction and addiction treatment.
  • H.B. 1827 (Taylor, R-Philadelphia): Establishes a four-year recovery high school pilot program for students in recovery from substance abuse.
  • H.B. 2335 (Gainey, D-Allegheny): Limits access to opioid drugs, creates a directive for the Department of Health and requires schools to expand their instructions to include specific instruction on the misuse & abuse of prescription drugs.
  • S.B. 1202 (Yaw, R-Lycoming): Requires “pain management” and “prescribing practices of opioids” be included in continuing medical education credits for those professionals licensed to prescribe in Pennsylvania.
  • S.B. 1212 (Wozniak, D-Cambria): Provides for the School Aged Children Opioid Awareness Education Program.
  • S.B. 1367 (Yaw, R-Lycoming): Requires a health care professional to receive written consent from a minor’s parent or legal guardian in order to prescribe a medical treatment containing opioids, as well as discuss the risks and dangers.
  • S.B. 1368 (Killion, R-Delaware): Licensing boards must implement a curriculum on controlled substances and opioids that will be offered in colleges or by providers approved by the licensing boards.

Citing recent efforts to enact a balanced state budget, increase education funding and enact a bill to allow for the use of medical marijuana in the Commonwealth, Gov. Wolf asked Senators and Representatives to “cast aside partisanship once again, reject the cynicism that has tarnished the relationship between the Governor and Legislature until recently and make real progress toward stopping the opioid epidemic.”

With limited session days between now and the close of session on November 30, all of Pennsylvania is hopeful that we’ll see action on these measures. Stay tuned to this blog for updates.