PCPA met on July 10 with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs (BDAP), along with other drug and alcohol stakeholders, to discuss the latest information regarding the drug and alcohol budget restoration.
- OMHSAS was able to identify emergency, one-time, stopgap funds and sent an allocation at the end of June. The allocation was based on 1/12 of Act 152 and BHSI, less 5%. The allocation did not include IGT funds.
- OMHSAS is working hard to identify additional stopgap money for August in the event that the Part 2 of the budget is not completed. If stopgap funding is required the funds available will be limited. Deputy Secretary Erney indicated that some model for prioritization would be required.
- Optimism regarding restoration continues, with good signs from both the administration and the legislature. Full restoration is, of course, not a sure thing in spite of intense lobbying by advocates for 100% restoration.
- It does appear that new performance-based outcome measures will be tied to the restoration of the drug and alcohol funding. Apparently, KPMG has been contacted by the governor’s office to assist with the development of the measures. PCPA is lobbying heavily to guarantee providers are involved in the development of the measures. OMHSAS and BDAP have expressed strong interest in making that happen. Providers must assure that the measures are appropriate, achievable, and consistent with measures required by other county, state, and federal entities.
OMHSAS and BDAP will continue to work closely with the stakeholder representatives as the budget situation develops. Recent discussions with PCPA’s lobbyist indicate that progress is being made and the budget is expected to be finalized within the next two weeks. Hang in there! Our next big job will be to make sure that this never happens again!