Dear Colleague:
As the Year 2000 approaches, the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs reminds you that all of us may be affected to some degree by the Y2K problem. The Department of Health and the Ridge administration has devoted considerable resources to address the problem and expect no significant impact. None the less, we have developed extensive contingency plans to ensure continuation of our critical services.
We urge you to take the necessary steps to ensure that you will be able to provide continuous service when January 1, 2000 arrives. The American Red Cross recommends that you prepare as you would for a severe winter storm and maintain a two to three week supply of critical items. Be sure to consider the needs of all individuals under your care, verify the readiness of vendor's products, test your backup systems, obtain required supplies and review your contingency plans.
The systems currently in use by the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs are Y2K compliant, assuming that your hardware is Y2K compliant. The Client Information System (CIS) will require that you enter the four (4) digit year, e.g. 2000. The Performance Based Prevention System is fully Y2K compliant. The Commonwealth has entered into an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft to begin using Microsoft products. The state is currently running Microsoft Office 97, which is Y2K compliant. Within the next few years, the state will phase out other software, e.g. WordPerfect, Quattro, FoxPro, etc. For planning purposes you should have at a minimum Office 97 and hardware capable of running 32 bit programs and Y2K compliant.
If you have questions about Y2K readiness, there is a web site, www.pa2K.org, which contains information that will assist you in contingency planning, communications and guides. For those who do not have access to the Internet or want additional information, you can call a toll free number, 1-877-PA2KNOW for copies of Y2K publications.
If you have additional questions or need assistance in preparing for Y2K, contact your Single County Authority or the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs at (717) 783-8200.
Sincerely,
Gene R. Boyle Director Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs
cc: Prevention Providers
Treatment Providers
Single County Authorities