Gov. Wolf Renews Opioid Fight In Northampton

IVYLAND, PA — Pennsyvlania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday visited Ivyland to renew his disaster declaration related to the state's opioid epidemic.

The signing ceremony, Wolf's sixth renewal of the declaration, was held at Spring Hill Manor. He also kicked off a series of regional summits to address what are called "warm handoffs" in opioid overdose treatment.

The summits will bring together stakeholders from state and local governments, the drug and alcohol treatment community and health systems. Eight summits will be held at locations across the state in March and April.

Warm handoffs involve making sure that patients revived from opioid overdoses, often by law enforcement, are then transferred into treatment. They involve making sure that transfer happens in person and in the company of the patient.

"Over the past year thousands of lives have been saved through warm hand-off programs," said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jennifer Smith. "We know this is a key component in strengthening the drug and alcohol landscape throughout Pennsylvania.

"These summits are designed to fully equip counties who may be struggling to implement their programs with the tools and knowledge to have successful warm handoff programs — in turn, helping to save our neighbors and loved ones."

Today, warm handoff programs at various levels of implementation exist around the Pennsylvania. Since January 2017, more than 5,000 individuals have been directly referred to treatment as part of the warm handoff concept.

Counties with successful programs are seeing a success rate of 90 percent of overdose survivors directly admitted into drug and alcohol treatment following an overdose, Wolf's office said.

"Once we revive someone who has overdosed with naloxone, it is essential that we get those people into treatment," Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. "Warm handoff programs allow our medical providers and our drug treatment providers to ensure that someone with the disease of addiction gets the help they need. Treatment works and recovery is possible for those battling substance use disorder."

In February 2017, PA's Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Health, and Pennsylvania chapter of the College of Emergency Physicians released a clinical pathway designed to create an easy transition from care for an opioid overdose to treatment for an opioid use disorder.

Local authorities now are required to establish a warm handoff policy.

The eight planned summits will be held as follows:

• Philadelphia (March 21)
• Johnstown (March 27)
• Pittsburgh (March 28)
• York (April 4)
• Wilkes-Barre (April 11)
• Williamsport (April 16)
• Erie (April 17)

For more information about the summits and the clinical pathway, visit the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs website.