\u201cFaith-based organizations are often some of the most trusted places people turn to throughout cities, towns, and neighborhoods \u2014 making them a valued partner and welcomed addition to our Overdose Prevention Program,\u201d Davis-Jones said. \u201cPreventing fatal overdoses is our shared goal and responsibility with all of our 100 partner organizations that are literally meeting people where they are, removing barriers to access, increasing awareness, addressing stigma, and ultimately saving lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
DDAP operates the Overdose Prevention Program, which uses a hub-and-spoke model to provide free naloxone and drug testing strips to organizations throughout Pennsylvania known as overdose prevention partners. Once an organization becomes a partner, DDAP supplies the partner with naloxone and\/or drug testing strips.<\/p>\n
Partners then serve as \u201chubs,\u201d creating a network of local access points for individuals, community-based groups, and others \u2014 the \u201cspokes\u201d \u2014 to get free naloxone and test strips to check drugs for xylazine and fentanyl.<\/p>\n
Partners include county drug and alcohol offices, health care providers, police departments, fire departments, recovery community organizations, and others.<\/p>\n
All overdose prevention partners can be located through DDAP\u2019s website at ddap.pa.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n Individuals seeking substance use treatment or recovery supports can be connected to local SUD resources by calling the toll-free PA Get Help Now helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or by using Treatment Atlas, a free, online or smartphone locator tool to help Pennsylvanians confidentially find SUD treatment that meets their needs.<\/p>\n Act would strengthen student mental health<\/p>\n U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R- PA, and colleagues Sen. Tim Kaine, D- VA, Sen. Pete Ricketts, R- NE, and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D- NH, this week introduced the bipartisan Campus Lifeline Act \u2014 legislation to strengthen student mental health and suicide prevention efforts by expanding student-led outreach on college campuses and increasing awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n The senators said suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among young Americans, with nearly one-in-five high school students reporting suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n Congress has supported youth suicide prevention through the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (GLSMA), which provides grants to colleges and universities to improve mental health and substance use disorder services, suicide prevention programming, and student outreach.<\/p>\n Research shows peer-to-peer engagement can play an important role in identifying students in crisis and connecting them with appropriate support.<\/p>\n The launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has also expanded access to immediate behavioral health support, but awareness of the resource among college students remains inconsistent. The Campus Lifeline Act builds on existing federal efforts by strengthening peer-led outreach and helping colleges connect students with lifesaving mental health resources before a crisis escalates.<\/p>\n \u201cNo family should have to experience the heartbreak of losing a child, classmate, relative, or friend to suicide,\u201d McCormick said. \u201cStudents are often the first to recognize when someone is struggling. The Campus Lifeline Act strengthens peer-led mental health efforts, expands awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and gives colleges additional tools to connect students with support before a crisis becomes a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n Specifically, the Campus Lifeline Act would:<\/p>\n Expand eligible Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act campus mental health grants to support student organizations promoting peer mental health awareness, suicide prevention, substance use disorder education, and campus awareness campaigns.Expand peer education programs to help students recognize and appropriately respond to warning signs of mental health and substance use disorders.Require grant applicants to seek student input and ensure outreach and behavioral health resources are accessible to students enrolled in online, hybrid, and distance-learning programs.Expand technical assistance to both grant recipients and unsuccessful applicants implementing evidence-based campus mental health programs.Encourage states and colleges to promote the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline through student ID cards and campus awareness campaigns.Statewide action plan unveiled<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro this week met with the Commonwealth\u2019s Behavioral Health Council and Advisory Committee to unveil a new statewide action plan for behavioral health.<\/p>\n The Governor created the Council when he signed Executive Order 2023-20, which directed the Council to develop a plan for state leaders, local governments, and community providers to deliver improved, faster, and higher-quality behavioral health care services for all Pennsylvanians.<\/p>\n The Council delivered on the Governor\u2019s directive by examining the current state of Pennsylvania\u2019s behavioral health care system, finding points for improvement, and offering 41 recommendations to improve access to care and strengthen support for Pennsylvanians seeking mental health and addiction care services.<\/p>\n \u201cSince taking office, my Administration has been steadfast in our commitment to improving Pennsylvania\u2019s behavioral health care system \u2014 and from securing the first ever dedicated state funding for the 988 crisis hotline to historic investments in school mental health and safety, we\u2019ve delivered real results,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cThis plan builds on that progress. My Administration is moving ahead as quickly as possible to implement the recommendations we can make unilaterally \u2014 and I\u2019m calling on the members of the General Assembly to take action on the remaining recommendations to strengthen Pennsylvania\u2019s behavioral health system.\u201d<\/p>\n For nearly three years, the Council and its Advisory Committee consulted with more than 100 people from each of Pennsylvania\u2019s 67 counties and held monthly meetings to discuss their findings, identify recommended changes, and develop their comprehensive plan.<\/p>\n Through this community engagement, the Council found that Pennsylvania\u2019s behavioral health care system is fragmented, with providers operating in parallel systems but rarely communicating with one another, while individuals who seek support outpace the system\u2019s capabilities. The Council also found that patients often have to retell their stories at every door because providers cannot see one another\u2019s records.<\/p>\n With need outpacing the system\u2019s capacity, Council members also identified a workforce shortage where low pay, complex licensure requirements, high training costs, duplicative audits, and administrative burdens drive clinicians out of the field.<\/p>\n Similarly, the Council identified geographic gaps in service, where rural residents travel long distances \u2014 or wait weeks \u2014 and crisis services, withdrawal management beds, and mobile units are scarce outside of urban areas.<\/p>\n The Council also found that young people often navigate a patchwork of programs run by different offices, and specialized geriatric behavioral health services are sorely lacking.<\/p>\n Put together, these challenges have created a complex system that\u2019s too hard to access for too many Pennsylvanians.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n HB 26-1238 covers ambulance and air ambulance services while clarifying that off-duty EMS providers are not required to respond\n <\/p>\n August 14, 2026 09:02 AM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n The Fort Worth Fire Department ambulance was stolen from Station 4 before turning up damaged on Interstate 35 in Austin\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n A medical helicopter was requested, but the patient was pronounced dead before the aircraft arrived\n <\/p>\n August 14, 2026 11:10 AM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n Mecklenburg County paramedics can now administer whole blood to patients at the scene or during transport\n <\/p>\n August 14, 2026 06:00 AM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.).![\"ColoradoSpringsFireDepartment.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786811073_272_.jpeg\")
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