Accomplishments

DDAP receives funds from various federal and state sources. DDAP’s funds are used in 5 key areas: prevention, intervention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery support.

A major driver in funding DDAP’s key areas is funds that come from multiple opioid settlements that DDAP, in turn, distributes through competitive grants.

• Nearly 60 grant recipients funded for substance use disorder (SUD) initiatives including: 
  • More than $1 million to 7 organizations for opioid use disorder (OUD) prevention
  • More than $1 million to 2 organizations for harm reduction services in underserved areas
  • More than $2 million to 5 organizations to help Pennsylvanians access a DDAP-licensed recovery house

It’s important for people to access treatment and services when they need them. In 2024, DDAP took big steps to improve access throughout the state.

• Created a license to regulate SUD telehealth treatment, giving Pennsylvanians additional access to treatment
• Issued a license for Pennsylvania’s first mobile opioid treatment program (OTP), paving the way for greater access to medications for opioid use disorder treatment
• Led the effort to align state and federal regulations, allowing low barrier access to medications to treat OUD, the most sweeping update to OTP regulations in a generation

DDAP firmly believes all Pennsylvanians deserve access to harm reduction resources, such as naloxone, regardless of where they live, what they look like, or how much money they make.

• In December 2024, DDAP became the sole administrator for Pennsylvania’s Overdose Prevention Program, which offers FREE naloxone
• Partnered with 90+ organizations to distribute 820,000+ doses of FREE life-saving naloxone as part of our Overdose Prevention Program
• Released 2 grant opportunities to fund additional harm reduction efforts to keep people safe and alive until they are ready to access treatment:
  • 12 drop-in center awardees
  • 2 harm reduction awardees

 We’re helping the helpers and healers with an innovative student loan repayment program  and workforce development grant to address high rates of turnover and staff shortages in the substance use disorder (SUD) field.

• Through our student loan repayment program, we awarded $20 million to nearly 350 SUD practitioners—counselors, case managers, nurses, peer specialists, and others—to help repay their student loans and keep them working in Pennsylvania
• Created a workforce development pilot program with Carlow and Waynesburg universities for master’s level students
  • A minimum of 75 students will be eligible to receive tuition assistance, a stipend, and DDAP trainings to prepare them to enter the SUD workforce without delay. 

Loan repayment works

• In 2024, 90% of recipients of Round 1 of the loan repayment program completed a DDAP survey as a follow up to the program
  • Nearly all – 98% - said they are likely to stay in the field because of the financial support
  • 85% said the program boosted their job satisfaction

Through roundtable talks, site visits, press events and media interviews, maximizing social media platforms, hosting the Emerging Drug Trends Symposium, and Recovery Month signature events, we are getting out there!

• Phase 2 of DDAP’s stakeholder engagement tour took us to 10 counties and 46 legislative districts
  • The DDAP team sat down with more than 350 stakeholders to receive direct feedback on what’s working and not working in their respective area
  • Throughout various tour stops, 18 media outlets attended, conducted  12 one-one-on interviews with the Secretary, which translated into 10 stories across five of Pennsylvania’s media markets
• Launched DDAP’s Instagram account, reaching thousands more Pennsylvanians
• Reached 2 million Pennsylvanians with our stigma reduction Life Unites Us campaign—a research-based effort that spreads messaging to change minds and attitudes about SUD
  • As of spring 2024, those who viewed the campaign were 15% more likely to believe that employers should not be allowed to deny employment to a person taking medications for opioid use disorder

Over recent years, DDAP has undergone significant growth. In 2024, we announced a plan that sets the agency up for long-term success.

• Restructured to form the NEW Bureau of Operational Excellence and reorganize the existing Bureau of Administration with a focus on:
  • Refining internal processes
  • Improving accountability of those we fund
  • Implementing best practices that drive continuous improvement
  • Making our services more effective for the communities we serve
• Launched a new training management system for the SUD workforce—a new one-stop shop for instructor-led and on-demand trainings
• Created 5 workgroups to help inform our regulatory reform efforts
• Made it easier and more efficient for county drug and alcohol offices, known as Single County Authorities (SCAs), and licensed treatment providers to work with DDAP to submit information digitally, reducing their administrative burdens