HARRISBURG – Legislation introduced by Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) that would create a detoxification bed registry to facilitate treatment for drug addiction passed the House unanimously on Wednesday.
Under the bill, the Department of Human Services would develop and administer an internet-based detoxification bed registry to collect, aggregate and display information about available beds in public and private inpatient psychiatric facilities and licensed detoxification and rehabilitation facilities for the treatment of individuals in need of inpatient hospitalization or detoxification.
This registry would contain information for facilities and licensed providers; information regarding the number of beds available at a facility; and provide a search function to identify available beds that are appropriated for the treatment of a substance abuse emergency.
“This initiative provides another tool for health care providers in the fight to curb Pennsylvania’s opioid epidemic,” said Heffley.
“Currently, we have families seeking treatment who cannot access what they desperately need. We must work to make more treatment beds available and this bill will help accomplish that goal.”
House Bill 825 must now be considered by the Senate.
