Dear Opioid Crisis Action Network (OCAN) Supporters,
We are only days away from the end of this legislative session, and every second counts! Please click on the email address below for PA Senate HHS Committee Chair Michele Brooks (R- Erie) and ask her to post our two life-saving bills for a committee vote.
Our two bills, PA SB 975, the "Deny no one treatment or coverage for treatment because they are sober Act," and PA SB 976, the Treatment Center and Recovery Home Transparency Act, were referred to the PA Senate's Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee several months ago and we are hopeful that they will be posted for a committee vote in the next couple days and a floor vote by the end of this legislative session at the end of next week, 6/30/22.
mbrooks@pasen.gov
OCAN is grateful for the continuous dedication to advocacy of the primary sponsor of these bills, Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks). The bills have also received the stated bi-partisan support of HHS Committee Members Argall (R-Berks), Haywood (D-Montgomery / Philadelphia) and Cappelletti (D-Delaware / Montgomery). The bills also have the support of many other Senators from both parties. We thank everyone who took the time to help make this progress possible.
Vote Yes on PA SB 975 - the "Deny no one treatment or coverage for treatment because they are sober Act!" will ban the common practice of denying coverage for treatment for those who report for treatment for addiction while sober. This happened to our son, Brendan, who suffered from urges to relapse after 60 days sober and reported to the facility where he previously received excellent in-patient care. The treatment facility wanted to admit him but our insurance company refused to cover his admittance because it "was not medically necessary." Urges to relapse are potentially deadly and treatable. This practice must be banned so lives can be saved.
Vote Yes on PA SB 976 - the "Treatment Center and Recovery Home Transparency Act!" This bill will require the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) to send a questionnaire to every treatment center and recovery home licensed in PA and publish on their web site the responses from the treatment centers and homes. For those who choose not to respond, the web site will list "did not respond." The questionnaire will address treatment centers' and recovery homes' locations, bed numbers, and qualifications of staff members, willingness to accept those pursuing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) regimes, ability to address those with dual diagnosis, and results of care such as average days sober of residents, relapses, deaths, etc., in order to provide those evaluating facilities with the means to make a life-saving decision regarding the best care available to them and their loved ones.
For more information on these life-saving bills, click on the links below:
Bill Information - Senate Bill 975; Regular Session 2021-2022 - PA General Assembly (state.pa.us)
Bill Information - Senate Bill 976; Regular Session 2021-2022 - PA General Assembly (state.pa.us)
Thank you for your commitment to advocating for life-saving public health policies. We cannot make these bills laws without you!
With gratitude,
Larry and Heather Arata
Co-Founders, Opioid Crisis Action Network (OCAN)
610-290-3934