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The unelected force behind Pa.’s drug treatment policy

Influential lobbyist Deb Beck has her critics

  • Russ Walker
Deb Beck, 69, has been one of the most influential people in Pennsylvania's battle against drug addiction. She's a go-to source for lawmakers drafting legislation, or looking to get help for a loved one. But critics question who she really represents.

 Courtesy Gene DiGirolamo

Deb Beck, 69, has been one of the most influential people in Pennsylvania's battle against drug addiction. She's a go-to source for lawmakers drafting legislation, or looking to get help for a loved one. But critics question who she really represents.

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Deb Beck

Courtesy Gene DiGirolamo

Deb Beck, 69, has been one of the most influential people in Pennsylvania’s battle against drug addiction. She’s a go-to source for lawmakers drafting legislation, or looking to get help for a loved one. But critics question who she really represents. (Courtesy Gene DiGirolamo)

  • The woman who fought to expand drug and alcohol treatment in Pennsylvania is the subject of the latest Spotlight PA investigation. Reporter Aneri Pattani profiles Deb Beck, the head of the Drug and Alcohol Service Providers Organization of Pennsylvania. Beck fought in the trenches to require health insurers to cover addiction services, becoming one of the most recognized lobbyists in the capitol. But like many people early to the fight against substance abuse, Beck is biased toward long-term residential treatment based on the abstinence model. Today, many experts say medication-assisted treatments — basically, drugs that block an addict’s cravings or ability to get high — are more cost effective and successful. Is Beck using her influence to favor residential programs over medication-assisted treatment? Read Pattani’s piece here.

  • How did the opioid epidemic get so bad in Philadelphia? The Inquirer has an in-depth look into data showing which pharmacies were ordering easy-to-abuse versions of oxycontin a decade ago, and how changes that made the pill harder to crush and snort ultimately drove many addicts to buy heroin on the street. It’s a fascinating read from reporters Nathaniel Lash and Aubrey Whelan.

  • Pittsburgh achieved significant reductions in overdose deaths between 2017-2018. How they did it is the subject of this story by The Inquirer’s Whelan. And here’s a look at the situation in the Lehigh Valley, courtesy The Morning Call.

  • WITF’s Keira McGuire produced a powerful video about addicts in long-term recovery who are helping addicts who are still struggling to stop using. Another approach is training nurses to spot addicts and offer help. There’s a program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing that’s doing just that.

  • As public health officials see success in fighting opioid addiction and overdoses, other drugs are making a comeback. That’s the case in Erie, where there’s been a resurgence of crystal methamphetamine, according to this editorial from the Erie Times-News.

  • Behavioral health organizations are facing significant cuts in funding, and it’s unclear if the state will be able to launch a new system to pay for the care provided by many community-level organizations. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a good piece explaining the situation, and the Centre Daily Times reports on the closure of a program serving 1,000+ people in State College and Centre County.

Best of the rest

A photo posted to Twitter on Thursday by Pa. Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, a member of the House Judiciary Committee that drafted the two articles of impeachment against President Trump. Under the photo, Scanlon wrote: “Let me break this down for you… #DefendOurDemocracy #ImpeachmentDebate.”

  • A marathon hearing in the House Judiciary Committee lasted into the evening hours as Democrats worked to finalize the two articles of impeachment the full House could vote on as soon as next week. Reminder: There are three Pa. House members on the committee. Two are Democrats — Mary Gay Scanlon and Madeleine Dean, who represent districts near Philadelphia. The Republican, Guy Reschenthaler, represents southwest Pa. The Inquirer has a piece on Scanlon and Dean, while USA Today reported on Reschenthaler’s effort to derail one of the Democrats’ impeachment counts.

  • Democrat Conor Lamb represents the 17th District in western Pa. and is a top target for Republicans in the 2020 election. He had been keeping a low profile on impeachment, but on Thursday he declared he’s for it. “I think the president did what was reflected in those two articles [of impeachment]. The evidence we do have is strong. And President Trump has admitted almost all of it,” Lamb told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. More context on Lamb political calculations via WESA.

  • Just two Republicans crossed the aisle Thursday to vote for Democrats’ bill to cut the costs of prescription drugs. One of those GOP votes came from Pa. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents a swing district largely based on Bucks County. Fitzpatrick is a top target for Dems next year, and this vote could help him show voters that he’s not a dogmatic Republican. Here’s more from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

  • PA Post’s Emily Previti was in Northampton County on Thursday to hear more about what went wrong with the county’s voting machines last month. A representative from the manufacturer, Election Systems & Software, declared that human error was mostly to blame and promised the company would be providing more support ahead of the 2020 elections. Read Emily’s story here.

 


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