Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) today revealed Secretary Jen Smith has actually been granted the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence ( AATOD), Inc.’s Nyswander/Dole “Marie” Award which acknowledges exceptional contributions to the opioid treatment field.
The Nyswander/Dole “Marie” Award was just recently provided to Smith at the 2022 AATOD International Conference on November 2. This award is the greatest honor for contributions to the field and receivers are chosen by their peers from each area in the United States and at least one global area.
” Accepting this award is a really humbling honor. To the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence and my peers from throughout the nation– thank you from the bottom of my heart,” stated Secretary Smith. “From browsing the unstable waters of COVID-19, to leading programs to help people in recovery, and whatever in in between, I am so happy of the work that we have actually achieved under my last 7 years in the Wolf Administration.”
Furthermore, Smith got the Community Partner Award from the Bridge Method School, Pennsylvania’s very first recovery highschool The objective at Bridge Method School is to provide a strong scholastic program to trainees in grade 9-12 who are in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) and, in addition, enable them to focus on knowing in an environment in which sobriety is needed and supported.
” Each year, Bridge Method honors people who have actually supported our work or advanced the fieldof recovery Secretary Smith has actually done both,” stated Lois S. Hagarty, Bridge Method School Board Member. “Offered her management of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, promoting Bridge Method and highlighting the requirement for recovery supports throughout the state, we are honored to provide Secretary Smith with this award.”
” I am exceptionally honored to receive the Community Partner Award,” Smith stated. “The Bridge Method School’s objective lines up with the vision of my department, which is for all Pennsylvanians to live complimentary or be in recovery from the illnessof addiction Partners like the Bridge Method School are crucial in our effort to continuously establish a strong network throughout the commonwealth to prepare people for their shift into a life of recovery.”
Smith has actually worked relentlessly to guarantee that combating the addiction crisis stays a concern on the federal, state, and regionallevels As the leader of DDAP under the Wolf Administration, Smith has actually brought about significant modification consisting of:
- protecting almost $620 million in federal financing, in addition to continuous block grant financing, for ingenious SUD prevention, damage decrease, treatment, and recovery- associated jobs
- investing more than $60 million towards no-cost naloxone for Pennsylvanians and effectively promoting for the legalization of fentanyl test strips
- increasing gain access to to SUD treatment through the more than 100,000 consumption calls gotten by the Get Help Now hotline and releasing the Addiction Treatment Locator, Evaluation, and Standards ( ATLAS) Platform throughout the commonwealth
- broadening awareness of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) by hosting local tops, upgrading department handbooks to required MAT as part of all levels of care, broadening coverage of FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) through insurance providers without pre-authorization, and broadening use of MAT in corrections/county prisons
- considerable development in outpatient SUD treatment capability and increasing assistance of the bridge design throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
- through the Life Unites Us project, lowering stigmatizing mindsets towards people with an SUD and their households, one of the significant barriers for those thinking about treatment.
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephany Dugan – ra-dapressoffice@pa.gov
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