Altoona, PA – Today, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones toured and met with hospital staff at UPMC Altoona’s Behavioral Health Pod, a first-of-its-kind unit in Blair County offering emergency treatment for Pennsylvanians looking for help during mental health and substance use crises. The pod is partially funded by DDAP’s portion of “Big Four” opioid settlement dollars that were a result of a multistate investigation of opioid manufacturers and distributors spearheaded by Governor Josh Shapiro when he was Attorney General, which led to settlement agreements for Pennsylvania worth billions of dollars.
The behavioral health pod is a dedicated, safe, and therapeutic space at UPMC Altoona hospital. The space is separate from the traditional emergency department, offering short-term crisis stabilization, inpatient hospitalization referrals, and other emergency treatment for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (SUD). To date, the behavioral health pod has served nearly 500 adult and adolescent patients. Approximately 10 percent of those patients have SUD as their primary diagnosis and many additional patients have SUD as a secondary diagnosis.
“The Shapiro Administration is a proud partner in this collaborative effort to open another door for mental health and substance use disorder care when someone needs it most,” said DDAP Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones. “Having places like this to go help to break down other barriers to care, starting with stigma. Having the right treatment at the right place at the right time goes a long way in strengthening the continuum of behavioral health care for individuals and families in Blair and surrounding counties.”
DDAP awarded Blair County Drug and Alcohol Program, Inc., $775,000 in grant funding – out of the agency’s share of opioid settlement funds - to invest in the construction of the behavioral health pod, which is the product of renovations within UPMC Altoona’s emergency department.
Blair County Drug and Alcohol Program is the Single County Authority (SCA) for drug and alcohol services in Blair County, providing community assessment, capacity building, planning, implementation and evaluation to support drug and alcohol programming for the county.
“Blair County partnerships have always been a strength in our communities,” said Blair Drug and Alcohol Program Executive Director Judy Rosser. “The partnership and successful opening of the UPMC Altoona Behavioral Health Pod stands as a commitment UPMC Altoona has to provide an environment of respect and compassion for those with substance use and mental health disorders.”
“By providing a safe, calming environment separate from the traditional emergency department and connecting patients to the right level of care, we are reducing barriers, supporting families, and helping people start on a path to recovery sooner,” said UPMC Altoona and UPMC Bedford President Mike Corso. “The availability of the behavioral health pod represents an important step toward addressing the mental health needs of the Altoona region. We are grateful for the support from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in conjunction with Blair County Drug and Alcohol Programs authorized by Governor Josh Shapiro’s office and facilitated by Judy Rosser, as well as our other funding partners including Congressman Dr. John Joyce, state representatives, Blair County commissioners, the City of Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico and city council and the UPMC Altoona Foundation to be able to offer this service to the community.”
“The addition of the behavioral health pod in our emergency department has proven to be a more therapeutic environment for patients to receive treatment and begin their healing process,” said UMPC Altoona Director of Nursing Operations Kim Corle.
This investment underscores the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to strengthening the behavioral services field so Pennsylvanians can access care with greater ease when it is needed.
For example, the 2026-27 proposed state budget includes $5 million to sustain behavioral health walk-in crisis stabilization centers through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, prioritizing regions with limited access to immediate, in-person care and strengthening collaborations among hospitals, community providers, and local responders. The goal of the funding is to have around-the-clock crisis care in every corner of the Commonwealth through a three-pronged approach: someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go.
Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has taken action to increase funding for behavioral health services throughout the Commonwealth:
- In 2023, Governor Shapiro signed an executive order creating a Behavioral Health Council to foster collaboration among stakeholders and increase accessibility of behavioral health services across the Commonwealth.
- The bipartisan 2024-25 budget built on the previous year’s budget investments – the first new funding for county programs in more than a decade – by providing an additional $20 million for county mental health programs for a total of $40 million in new funding for counties (the first increase since 2008), $5 million for crisis stabilization walk-in centers, with a focus on geographic areas that may not have a center, and continues the $100 million investment in mental health funding available for K-12 schools.
- Since the start of the Shapiro Administration, DDAP has invested $8.6 million in SUD crisis stabilization efforts through grants to four SCAs, including Blair County Drug and Alcohol Program, to serve residents throughout seven counties.
To learn more about the Shapiro Administration’s behavioral health efforts visit pa.gov.
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