November 30 – WILKES-BARRE – The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), in partnership with the Douglas W. Pollock Center for Addiction Outreach and Research, Shatterproof and PGP at Penn State Harrisburg – also known as the Public Good Projects – this week announced findings from the fourth year of the Life Unites Us campaign – an evidence-based approach to reducing the stigma of substance use disorders (SUD).
Life Unites Us is a people-focused, research-driven campaign that DDAP launched in September 2020. The campaign uses social media to spread stories about individuals in recovery, their family members and allies who support people with addiction.
Additionally, the campaign gives local organizations the opportunity to learn through webinars, fosters community partnerships to promote recovery-oriented support at the local level, and maintains an interactive data dashboard detailing campaign progress.
“The hard truth is that stigma still prevents people from seeking help and getting treatment, and that needs to change,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “Every step we take with Life Unites Us is guided by that principle. It is encouraging to see that as a result of Life Unites Us, attitudes are improving on issues such as opioid use disorder (MOUD) medications, addiction treatment and harm reduction. We are making progress progress every year of the campaign; that is what we want to see. I look forward to our continued success in erasing stigmatizing views and attitudes and replacing them with positive views and acceptance.
In its fourth year, the campaign has delivered more than 9 million impressions to nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians with information and messaging to encourage stigma reduction.
Additional statistics include:
– More than 360 people in recovery, family members and allies have recorded or submitted testimonials that have been shared on the campaign website and social media channels.
—Partnering with more than 200 community organizations with resources and messaging to reduce stigma.
—Hosting six webinars on a variety of topics related to reducing stigma, with more than 400 attendees.
A survey of Pennsylvanians conducted three and a half years after the campaign found several trends, including greater agreement on the use of fentanyl test strips as a harm reduction strategy in the Commonwealth. Pennsylvanians also indicated they were more willing to purchase naloxone.
Some additional findings from the study include:
– Nearly 75% of respondents who viewed the campaign agreed that the opioid epidemic is a serious problem, compared to nearly 61% of respondents who did not view the campaign.
– 85% of respondents who viewed the campaign agreed that they would be willing to provide naloxone to friends or family members, compared to 78% who did not view the campaign.
—Nearly 70% of respondents who viewed the campaign believe employers should not deny work to someone using MOUD, compared to 58% who did not view the campaign.
Rep. Meuser is co-sponsoring legislation to increase affordable homeownership
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored HR3940 – the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act – which establishes a new tax incentive to create 500,000 starter homes in under-resourced communities over the next decade.
Meuser said this legislation addresses the growing challenges families across the country are facing as rising costs and limited housing supply make home ownership increasingly difficult. He said that in many rural, urban and suburban areas, the cost of building or renovating a home upon completion often exceeds its market value.
Meuser said the proposed tax credit in this legislation bridges this “value gap” by covering up to 35% of eligible development costs, reducing financial risk for developers and encouraging investment in new and rehabilitated housing.
Meuser added that HR3940 will make home ownership more attainable for families across the country, including in Pennsylvania, while revitalizing under-investment communities and creating opportunities for sustainable growth and renewal.
“Families across the country and in Pennsylvania’s Ninth District are facing an affordable housing crisis,” Meuser said. “In rural areas, like many other areas in America, the cost of building or renovating homes is higher than what people can afford, making home ownership more difficult to achieve. The Neighborhood Homes Investment Act is a big step toward addressing this problem by providing a tax incentive. to help invest in new homes and the rehabilitation of older homes. This initiative will expand homeownership opportunities and act as a catalyst for revitalizing underserved urban and rural areas, fueling economic growth and building on the foundations of the American Dream. I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan, common-sense legislation.”
The legislation is supported by many organizations focused on expanding affordable homeownership, including the American Bankers Association, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and Habitat for Humanity.
HR3940 was referred to the Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.
New report details Pennsylvania’s health insurance market
In its efforts to advance transparency for consumers, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) this week announced the availability of the first summary report of the Pennsylvania Affordable Care Act and Qualified Health Plans (QHP) – a report explaining how PID health insurance products reviews and enforces laws to ensure a fair insurance market and equal treatment of consumers.
“The Shapiro Administration will not stop pushing for insurance plans and benefits that work for all Pennsylvanians,” said Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys. “We are proud of the expanded benefits that will be offered to Pennsylvanians in 2025. We’ve been working with insurers to expand benefits to specifically address coverage concerns we’ve heard directly from individuals and families across the Commonwealth. Being covered by insurance can be complicated. The QHP Summary Report followed our annual analysis of plans and provides important transparency into our health insurance markets.
The summary report provides an overview of the health insurance market in Pennsylvania and outlines how PID analyzes health insurers’ compliance with laws and regulations regarding products and rates.
The evaluation found that Pennsylvanians covered by individual and small group plans will see full coverage for plan year 2025 of:
—Over-the-counter (OTC) contraception from Opill without cost sharing.
—Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for autism spectrum disorders.
—HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) integrated services without cost sharing.
—At least one type of HIV PrEP medication without prior authorization or cost sharing.
Pennsylvanians will also see that several insurers:
-Prior authorization requirements for certain medications have been removed, meaning Pennsylvania residents no longer need to seek authorization from an insurer when prescribed specific medications.
– Certain medications have been moved to lower-cost formularies, making these medications more affordable for Pennsylvanians.
– Added certain medications to their formularies, giving consumers better access to specific medications.
Approved $20 million in grant funding for school safety and mental health support
The School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) this week approved nearly $20 million in competitively awarded school safety grants to non-public schools and municipalities, law enforcement agencies and approved security vendors that provide school security personnel services to schools .
The announced awards complement the $120 million School Safety Grant Program package included in the 2024-2025 bipartisan budget.
“I listened to our children when they told me about their mental health struggles, which is why my administration is quickly getting real help to students across Pennsylvania,” said Governor Josh Shapiro.
The school safety grant package for fiscal year 2024-2025 will provide $120 million through the following two requests:
—Competitive Targeted School Safety Grants for FY 24-25 for Non-Public Schools. Under this request, 367 applications were approved for a total of $19,665,000. The purpose of this funding is to support programs that address school violence and improve school safety and security. In addition to non-public schools, municipalities, law enforcement agencies and approved security vendors were also eligible for funding to support school security staff services at all Pennsylvania schools.
—Noncompetitive School Safety and Mental Health Grants for FY 24-25. Under this solicitation, 779 public schools – 500 school districts, 176 charter schools, 29 Intermediate Units, and 74 regional vocational and technical schools – received a total of $100 million in formula grants to address physical safety and behavioral health needs .
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
