Opioid addiction gets another hearing in Harrisburg

(Harrisburg) — A recent hearing of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee focused on the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania, and the best solutions for those dealing with addiction. 

Health officials say an average of seven Pennsylvanians die each day from overdoses of heroin or other opioids, such as powerful prescription painkillers.

Committee members heard testimony from a number of witnesses who point to increased treatment as the best option.

Senator Jay Costa is the Democratic Floor Leader in the Senate.

“We have walked away from providing drug and alcohol treatment in this commonwealth during the Corbett years.  Governor Wolf, to his credit, is trying to restore some of that, but we got folks in Harrisburg who simply don’t want to do it,” said Costa.

Access to treatment is another issue, with experts saying most insurance plans only cover two to four weeks, despite studies indicating that  it takes a minimum three months of inpatient care for treatment to work.