Statewide Drug Addiction Study Proposed by Schwank Ordered by PA Senate

April 4, 2016

HARRISBURG, April 4, 2016 – The Pennsylvania Senate today unanimously approved Sen. Judy Schwank’s resolution for an advisory task force to find better ways to address drug addiction and treatment.

“I believe the task force will find that Pennsylvania needs better coordination and, perhaps, a stronger commitment to drug addiction prevention, care and intervention, especially as heroin and opioid overdoses have racked so many of our communities,” Schwank said.

“We suspect more can and should be done because we read about Pennsylvanians dying from drug overdoses too many times on too many days. I’ve listened during public forums and impromptu meetings with constituents who say treatment programs should have the resources to provide more beds for care or they should be able to act quicker and with more focus.

“I look forward to the advisory panel’s work and final report to help stop this growing problem, and I thank the Senate for its understanding and support to make this happen. Treatment works.”

The special panel proposed in Schwank’s Senate Resolution 267 would complete an inventory of the locations and types of drug treatment programs and determine if there is a need for additional help or better coordination.

It would also determine the ease and availability of access by Pennsylvania residents to effective treatment; examine the prevalence and practical impact of using private or public funding or health insurance coverage to pay for treatment; decide how to better help consumers determine the effectiveness and value of different types of treatment and programs, and propose how to nurture promising emerging types of treatment and best practices.

The task force will work under the supervision of the Joint State Government Commission – a bipartisan, bicameral research agency – and have 18 months to deliver its report and recommendations.

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Follow Sen. Schwank on her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Contact: Mark Shade

Phone:   (717) 787-5166

mshade@pasenate.com

Schwank Named to Panel for Equal Justice, Fairness

March 13, 2015

HARRISBURG, March 13, 2015 – Underscoring her leadership and reputation as someone who fights for families, women and the less fortunate, Sen. Judy Schwank has been appointed to serve on a commission that’s charged with making sure fairness and equal justice are applied in Pennsylvania’s court system.

Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa appointed Schwank to a two-year term this week on the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness.

“We know the hand of justice is usually sensible and right. At times, though, it needs oversight and redirection,” Sen. Schwank said. “I thank Sen. Costa for giving me this opportunity to work with a well-established organization, and I am looking forward to lending my voice and ideas for the equal application of the law.”

The panel emerged when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered the “Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System” to embark on a three-year study in 1999 gauging the effect of race and gender bias in the justice system.

Since its inception, the 24-member Interbranch Commission has earned a reputation as a model for the nation’s courts and it has:

  • Devised a statewide policy for the Pennsylvania courts on Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity,
  • Played a critical role in the passage of landmark legislation on the provision of interpreter services in the courts and administrative agencies, and
  • Produced a key report on enhancing the safety of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Pennsylvania’s courthouses.

The Commission meets quarterly in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Harrisburg.

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More information on Sen. Schwank is available on her website, Facebook and Twitter.