 Well, good afternoon everybody. Thank you for joining us here at the Pennsylvania Medical Society on this soggy soggy day Let me apologize for the weather. Although there's nothing we can do about that at the medical society and also you notice the remodeling We're in the process of renovating our space. So thanks for enduring that as well. I'm Michael Frazer I'm the chief executive officer and executive vice president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society And we're absolutely thrilled to host Governor Wolf and members of his cabinet and administration to a very historic Day here at the medical society the signing of a statewide naloxone order standing order Joining the governor joining governor wolf here today and speaking will be secretary Ted Dallas of the Department of Human Services Secretary Gary tennis of the Department of Drug and Alcohol programs Secretary Karen Murphy of the Department of Health our physician general Dr. Rachel Levine and also Also with the Department of Health. We also have chairman Josh Shapiro chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Joining us as well as the president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society Dr. Scott Shapiro For the Pennsylvania Medical Society the issue of opioid abuse is one that concerns us greatly You may have noticed our recent issue of Pennsylvania physician highlighted the issue and there's copies on the back table There for you I invite you to pick one up on your way out Several years ago the medical society started its pills for ills not thrills campaign to proactively address this issue With our physician leaders across the state and we're pleased to be here today as part of that broader campaign There's the Commonwealth has been quite supportive of our physician efforts And we're pleased to be here today to mark this this next step in our fight to address the opioid crisis Today, you'll hear more about this issue and witness the signing of the statewide order to create easier access in Pennsylvania to Naloxone a drug that has already saved hundreds of lives here in the Commonwealth that would have been lost to drug misuse or abuse For physicians who may be listening today or if you can include this in your stories We'll be announcing a conference call for physicians with questions about the standing order will take place Monday morning at 730 before clinics so everybody can call in and learn more from the physician perspective on this really important issue So we invite all physician members to look for that notice coming out shortly With that let's get right to the reason why we're here Our first speaker is secretary Ted Dallas, and I'd like to invite him to address the group secretary Dallas I'd also like to add my thanks for everyone for coming here today on this rainy day I'd like to set off just mentioning some of the things that the Department of Human Services is doing in addition to the standing order That we're here to talk about today to combat the opioid opioid Epidemic that we have first and foremost was the governor's decision to expand Medicaid We're at as of today. I think we're up to 470,000 472,000 people who are in the Medicaid expansion and those foot and there are literally hundreds of thousands of folks in Pennsylvania Who now have access to drug and alcohol coverage that didn't before and the impact that's going to have on people's lives and save people's lives Cannot be underestimated. So thank you governor very much for expanding Medicaid In addition, we have a couple initiatives that are underway that are contingent on the budget We have efforts to take naloxone and and we have about two point five million dollars in our budget whenever we do reach Agreement on the budget that will help us provide naloxone for first responders And others and also find ways to make sure that we link People who are who use naloxone to treatment Naloxone is a very important thing and it will help save people's lives But ultimately that has to be matched up with treatment and making sure that folks get the help they need The second thing that we're doing is we have a pilot to try and do a little better with a drug called Vivitrol Vivitrol is a drug That's a narcotic blocker or it keeps you from getting high from the drug and we're working with the Department of Corrections To find ways to see if we can get inmates as they're making that transition from from the correction system back into society That we can we can use Vivitrol and those and those wraparound services to help them stay off of drugs once they leave The correction system and last but not least I wanted to thank the governor as well for taking a stand and doing something today That was helped save many people's lives. I think it's it's the right thing to do But I think it will do something in addition to helping save people's lives I think that one of the biggest problems we have with opioid addiction is the stigma that's associated with it Secretary Murphy speaks a lot more eloquently about it than I do, but I've seen it firsthand when we talk about Opioid addiction across the state I get to travel across the state in my job And you hear the stories of people from all walks of life about how heroin has impacted their lives This is not just an issue that affects low-income families. It's not an urban problem It affects all all people from all walks of life I've had members of my own staff who've had family members who've had to confront this and I've had many people call me from within the government Looking for help for their family members So today I think having this almost looks like the entire health and human services cabinet here, too I think it also sends a strong message that the stigma should go away with this This is a health problem and this is something that we all need to confront because these folks are literally there are brothers There are sisters. There are family members and we need to we need to end this stigma and just help them Thank you very much And I will also and now I think I'm introducing secretary tennis, right Gary my good friend take it away Thank you Ted And this is a historic day and I really do want to thank Governor Wolff and our physician general Rachel Levine For this life-saving measure We know that we're in the middle of the worst Opioid epidermal overdose epidemic in the history of the United States that this exceeds car crashes now by far as a cause of Accidental death. We know that this is Afflicting one out of four families in our Commonwealth Each all of those families suffering greatly dealing with this highly stigmatized disease This is so critical that we have this naloxone available a dr. Levine and I have been working With health insurers to raise money for police to get naloxone and already to date the police have already over 320 saves that's police alone setting aside Emergency medical services and that's a big big difference. We also know across our departments that saving the lives isn't enough That we need once the life is saved we need to get that person into treatment and we're working with Our national our federal stakeholders looking for guidance We're looking at best practices around the country to find ways to get individuals into treatment and overdose survivor We think they should be treated like a heart attack victim. They should be not Persuaded in the going to treatment. They should just be taken to assessment and treatment and that's the kind of shift in the paradigm We're looking for We're our department has a number of initiatives going we've been putting take-back boxes out in the coming out in the police stations And I think with the help of the Pennsylvania National Guard since February They've collected some 35,000 pounds of prescription drugs, which is a remarkable remarkable feat The partnerships that we have across departments are remarkable We work closely with Department of Health Department of Human Services to make sure that Medicaid is accessible for people coming out of County Jail To pay for their drug and alcohol treatment We want to make sure we work with the insurance department to make sure that the private health insurance benefit act 106 that says that the physician's order Governs the length of stay and the level of care. We're trying to make sure all of those resources are in place There is a lot to do in this area and I can't tell you As someone who's worked on this problem for 25 years how thrilling it is to work for a governor that is really turning the tide around We have endured 10 years of Cuts to drug and alcohol treatment both at the federal and state level Governor Wolf through Medicaid expansion and through the dollars that Secretary Dallas referred to and through five proposed $5 million in the proposed budget to our department to particularly focus on those treatments that are needed By by individual suffering with heroin and other opioid addiction. This is a change This is a weather change in terms of how your state government is dealing with this problem You have in your governor and in the end and his administration a group of people that understands the suffering That is occurring in our families that no longer wants to tolerate this high rate of death of seven or eight Pennsylvanians a day We're all working all cylinders are going to to turn this around and turn the dial on this So thank you again governor wolf and I want I am very honored to introduce my colleague secretary Murphy Who it has been a powerful powerful partner? So thank you Good afternoon, and thank you all for coming and I too would like to echo the thanks to governor wolf for leading and for Taking the approach to a government that works by involving all of us in all the agencies that you've heard about today in In addressing one of the worst It's not one of the worst it is the worst public health crisis that I have ever seen in my career And what moves is if in terms as secretary of health what moves me the most is miss Is the lack of understanding that everyone has? Regarding this disease so part of our work at the Department of Health will be to educate to educate Today all Pennsylvanians after dr. Levine signs this order will have access to naloxone so what the Department of Health is Targeted to do is to educate Not only health care professionals, but every Pennsylvanian on the disease of an opioid Opioid abuse and heroin addiction We are also working on educating first responders on the use of naloxone And we will be educating the public after today on the use of naloxone. We encourage family members to Take advantage of this standing order and if you have a family member that is Abusing opioids or is a heroin addict. We encourage you to obtain a Dose of naloxone and have it in your home to be prepared to assist these individuals Secretary Dallas talked about this stigma And so did secretary tennis. I really it's the only thing that I can figure out that has caused And contributes to the lack of uptake on solving this public health crisis is the stigma As the secretaries before me said this disease has touched Many many lives in Pennsylvania. They the disease has touched your neighbors I hope that it won't but it has touched many sons daughters brothers sisters husbands and wives so today we stand proud with the governor at the Opportunity to save lives with the administration of naloxone the Department of Health will continue its work in Education and also will continue to work with partners like the Pennsylvania Medical Society and other agencies across an Organizations across the Commonwealth that's saving lives and ending this horrible epidemic. Thank you I'd now like to invite our physician general Rachel Levine to address the group Good afternoon. I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to work on this very important issue In collaboration with numerous state agencies and departments under governor wolves leadership over the last 10 months The latest statistics from the Pennsylvania Corners Association are chilling They reported this spring that as many as seven people a day in our state are dying of drug overdoses I am pleased to be here today to take another important step in the ongoing Inter-departmental response to the opioid abuse crisis in our Commonwealth Naloxone is a life-saving medication that reverses overdoses caused by an opioid drug such as prescription painkillers and heroin Naloxone is safe and effective It does not cause someone to get high. It is not Addictive it has one use to reverse the fatal effects of an opioid drug Overdose it is a drug that can save the life of someone that is addicted to prescription opioids or to heroin Giving them an opportunity to get the treatment that they so dearly need It can also be used to reverse reverse the effects of an accidental drug poisoning Which can happen if an elderly individual may forget how much medication they have already taken or if a child gets into a medicine cabinet Almost one year ago Act 139 or David's law took effect Act 139 allowed for the administration of Naloxone by law enforcement First responders family members friends or others in a position to assist someone in an opioid related overdose The law also allows for a health care professional to prescribe Naloxone to friends or family members of the drug user and That's where I come in today The first standing order that I signed in April gave first responders the ability to obtain Naloxone Today's standing order ensures that all Pennsylvanians have access to this life-saving medication. I Encourage opioid users and their friends and families to talk with their health care providers about a prescription for Naloxone This order should only be used when an individual cannot obtain a prescription from a health care provider It is our goal to make this process as easy as possible So that individuals across the Commonwealth will have access to this medication Next I'd like to introduce Josh Shapiro Chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on crime and delinquency a group that is working Very hard to ensure that that health care and the law enforcement communities are working Collaboratively in this fight against the heroin epidemic. Thank you Good afternoon, and thank you for having us here at the medical society It's an honor to be here with the distinguished members of the governor's cabinet and of course the governor And I want to pick up on the comments that the physician general made at the end of her remarks Which is the collaboration the collaboration that is required to address this epidemic to address this crisis The Pennsylvania Commission on crime and delinquency is proud proud to play a role in bringing entities together To address this crisis Thanks to the hard work of PCC D The hundreds of thousands of dollars has been expended across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to bring entities together to solve it for example in counties all across Pennsylvania today There are prescription drug boxes where people can go empty their medicine cabinets of those expired or unneeded pills Put them in those drug boxes and then thanks to a collaboration with the National Guard those drugs can be destroyed Just a couple weeks ago. We were in Cumberland County We filled an entire truck with two tons of prescriptions that came out of people's medicine cabinets and a quarter of them a Quarter of them were opioids. These are opioids that were sitting in medicine cabinets Just waiting for someone to use who shouldn't be using That's an example of the work the PCC D has done in addition that PCC D has been working To arm our first responders with naloxone now We recognize that we're one small piece of that puzzle thanks to the leadership of the governor and his team That is now available to more and more across the Commonwealth and now as a result of the Good Samaritan law Which was just referenced we not only rely on law enforcement our medical communities and first responders to addresses We're relying on each and every person in our community to be able to be prepared to help someone who is overdosed in Montgomery County, which I'm proud to lead as chairman of the county commissioners there just a week ago Our interim medical director signed a similar order to what dr. Levine will sign in just a few moments We have a hundred and eighty pharmacies in Montgomery County in less than a week 67 pharmacies signed up to issue naloxone to anyone who walks in who needs it And I think it's important that it be available for anyone because this is an epidemic that is touching nearly everyone It's not the typical mindset you'd have of who a drug user is getting hooked on heroin's an opioid heroin and other Opioids this is the star athlete at a Montgomery County high school that blew out her knee Got prescribed pain killers ran out of the painkillers began buying opioids Illegally couldn't afford them anymore got hooked on heroin Overdosed and died the star athlete These are people in our community that need help and now with the signature of dr. Levine today They will have access to life saving help It is not debatable if you put naloxone in someone that is overdosing you will save their life I think every member of the governor's cabinet here and every member of the medical society here today would acknowledge That not was saying the fact that this will be dr. Levine's signature on the piece of paper None of this would happen if it were not for the commitment of governor tom wolf who understands the need to address this Not from a criminal justice perspective not from a human services perspective But from a multidisciplinary perspective bringing people together to address this crisis that we face in Pennsylvania today Governor Wolf's leadership make no mistake is the reason why we're here today It's the reason why we're pushing back on this Crisis in Pennsylvania and it is the reason why ultimately we will win It's my honor to introduce governor tom wolf to you at this time governor Well, thank you very much Josh. That was a very nice introduction I am really pleased to be here and and I appreciate all the kind comments that that all of you gave me but Really, we're here because we recognize that Pennsylvania has a problem We have a an epidemic here the likes of which we have not seen before It's an epidemic of addiction drug addiction and we need to address it And we are doing a number of things at the state level Starting with assembling a really formidable team of people who are committed to making sure that we address this Epidemic the way we we should so I want to thank this team of really first-class individuals Talented experienced group of people that they are for coming together to help all of us in pennsylvania address this this issue So what are we doing? Well today? Dr. Levine is going to sign the standing order that will give access to all pennsylvania's To naloxone which is a life-saving drug just one part of the way. We're trying to address this opioid Epidemic, but we have done a lot of things already I've announced that support schools that are carrying naloxone. I think as we've pointed out The department of health has already been awarded nine hundred thousand dollars from the federal government to address the heroin epidemic crisis In my budget I asked for five million dollars. We talked about that earlier for the department of drugs and alcohol to try to address the This issue and assist counties who are trying to address this issue My budget also included two point five million dollars to the department of human services For naloxone kits the point is we have a problem and we in pennsylvania are trying to do something about it We've got to recognize that and this is the the key this is not something and as The chairman said actually your chairman twice over county commission and the pennsylvania Commission on crime and delinquency But we have a problem prescription drug abuse is a really big problem in pennsylvania One in four families suffer from the effects of substance abuse your next door neighbors People you know members of your family all of our families. This is an issue that affects a lot of pennsylvania's Heroin and opioid overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in pennsylvania not automobile accidents in 2014 2,400 people died from drug overdose just in pennsylvania 2,400 people died from overdose Too many people in pennsylvania are being hurt by this it affects Obviously those who are addicted, but it also affects the family members That's a problem So over the past nine months my administration has done a lot of things Talked about to try to address this issue But I think the single most important thing and all of us have talked about this is addressing the stigma that is associated With drug addiction. This is a disease This is a disease and it's a disease like cancer It's a disease like heart disease like diabetes and all the others and something that we have to address and treat In that same same way This is something that we have to treat just like those diseases and our focus our programs are focused on that Making sure that we understand that this is a disease addiction is a disease So here's some of the other things that we've done or are doing shortly after I took office that created an interagency heroin task force They've issued guidelines for healthcare professionals who prescribe opioids That's one of the things that we can do and in doing this this task force and the medical profession have increased early intervention They've made it possible for police and other emergency responders to administer naloxone But also figure out what to do once that naloxone has been administered. It's not just enough to revive somebody who's been addicted That's a it's a wake-up call. It's a cry for help and we need to respond to that And in the things that that everybody associated with this program We're starting to do more and more of is make sure the people who suffer addiction And show this sign of because of the overdose not only get the treatment from naloxone But actually have some way to move forward in their lives So now I am very proud to stand with dr. Levine as she signs our standing order For naloxone for this state dr. Levine