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State details xylazine outreach, naloxone distribution and peer‑recovery investments in SUD testimony
Summary
In Appropriations testimony, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Letika Davis Jones described state efforts on xylazine awareness and wound care, naloxone distribution, 988/PA Get Help Now coordination and investments in peer recovery and recovery housing.
Secretary Letika Davis Jones told the House Appropriations Committee the department is expanding prevention, treatment and recovery supports and working with the Department of Health on xylazine education and wound‑care resources.
Xylazine response and training: Davis Jones and a DDAP colleague said the department is creating public‑awareness materials, expanding wound‑care training and distributing wound‑care kits. Secretary Bogan later said the Department of Health distributed 50,000 wound kits and trained more than 500 healthcare providers to recognize and treat xylazine wounds. Committee members asked for links and public copies of materials; legislators said they had difficulty finding resources on agency websites and asked the departments for written updates.
Naloxone distribution and overdose prevention: Davis Jones said DDAP administers the statewide overdose‑prevention program and distributed more than 822,000 naloxone doses in 2024. She said regional entities coordinate distribution and the department tracks allocations to ensure statewide coverage and to identify gaps for additional outreach to community partners, hospitals and colleges.
988 coordination and warm handoffs: Committee members asked how 988 integrates with SUD services. Davis Jones said DDAP is part of an interagency “health hub” and that her bureau has protocols with 988 to provide warm handoffs and to transfer SUD calls to the Pennsylvania Get Help Now line when appropriate.
Peer recovery and recovery housing funding: Davis Jones described roughly $24 million allocated for recovery support services, including about $14 million for recovery housing, and said the department is expanding non‑regional recovery hubs and other recovery supports. She said DDAP created a recovery unit and continues to expand funding opportunities, including recovery housing and drop‑in centers.
Workforce supports: The department is advancing student‑loan repayment (the second phase of a program), piloting recruitment programs with Carlow University and Waynesburg University, and said early survey results show participants reporting reduced financial stress and improved retention in SUD jobs (an 83% response rate in round 1 surveys of recipients was cited).
Why it matters: Legislators pressed the agencies for public awareness materials, testing and training data, and clarity on whether training events should be free for community members; the departments said they would provide additional documentation.
