PCPA has been working with other statewide organizations in an effort to get drug and alcohol (D&A) funds restored and to help programs until that happens. The new coalition consists of organizations representing persons in recovery, families, counties, and providers. This group met today with Joan Erney, Deputy Secretary for Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), and Gene Boyle from the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs (BDAP).
The meeting was productive. First on the agenda was helping programs maintain until more is known about the budget. Deputy Secretary Erney described things as being in "emergency mode" and recommended keeping in constant contact. The Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is in the process of making calls to counties in an effort to avert further crisis. DPW is working to assess what is needed to maintain until the budget is passed and more is known about funding for next year. Counties will be asked for a contingency plan by June 1.
Some short term and long term efforts are underway:
- The department is looking for stopgap funds. Several possible sources are being researched but none will be adequate to hold the system for long.
- DPW is working to eliminate the lag time for the January contracts to allow for immediate enrollment of D&A clients into HealthChoices.
- DPW has also started the process on the Medicaid state plan review. The hope is that we could add services to the state plan such as Intensive Outpatient, Case Management, and Partial Hospitalization.
- DPW will be working with BDAP to get D&A services paid for by EPSDT, which covers children up to age 21.
The Coalition to Restore Funding will be meeting with OMHSAS and BDAP bi-weekly to work on these issues. A tremendous amount of work is being done all over the state to get funding restored. See PCPA’s May Provider News and Legislative Updates for more information on activities underway. Questions can be directed to Lynn Cooper at the Association.