The opioid crisis has hit Pennsylvania particularly hard in recent years. Drug-related overdose deaths in the state are twice as high as the national average. Although numbers peaked around 2017, new reports this year predict that the COVID-19 epidemic will push overdose deaths back up to the high water mark of 2017 - or perhaps even beyond it. 

Pennsylvania’s drug and alcohol abuse problem extends beyond opioids. Over 36% of Pennsylvania residents over 12 report using an illicit substance at least once in their life. Over 10% report using in the last year.   

For these reasons, Pennsylvania is a great state to open an addiction treatment center. With a high number of people suffering from SUD, there is a high demand for services to treat the disease of addiction. Pennsylvania is also unique in the nation because it allows addiction treatment providers to prescribe medical marijuana to treat opioid use disorder. 

Today let’s look at what it takes to open an addiction treatment center in Pennsylvania.

State Licensing is Required for Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs in Pennsylvania

Pennsylviania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs makes it clear that all addiction treatment providers must get licensed in the state. According to the website:

Persons, partnerships, corporations and other legal entities that provide drug and alcohol services are required to be licensed as a drug and alcohol facility.  Once licensure is obtained, a certificate of licensure or certificate of compliance is issued to the owner for a specific location and for specific drug and alcohol activities. 

The first step to getting licensed in Pennsylvania is completing the Request for Licensing Application Packet from the state. Once you’ve completed this one page form, you can submit it to the Division of Drug and Alcohol Program Licensures at RA-licensureapp@pa.gov. You can also direct questions to the Division at 717-783-8675. 

Pennsylvania Code is Very Specific About Clinical, Building and Program Requirements for Addiction Treatment Providers Looking to Open in the State

Some states are pretty general in their regulations of addiction treatment providers. Some states make very little in the way of guidelines for providers at all. Pennsylvania is not one of those states. Pennsylvania’s state code is pretty thorough in describing exactly what standards addiction treatment providers will be held to. 

For example. Chapter 704 covers all staffing requirements for drug and alcohol treatment centers in Pennsylvania. Looking it over, you’ll learn that all inpatient, non-hospital treatment centers must have a FTE staff-to-resident ratio of one to eight. If your center serves children under 18, then you must provide a staff-to-resident ratio of one to six. 

Chapter 705, on the other hand, covers “physical plant standards” - or building requirements - for addiction treatment centers. These are also pretty specific. These codes cover everything from the required furnishings in your addiction treatment center to the number and types of rooms you must make available to residents, clinicians and visitors. For example, Chapter 705 stipulates that shared bedrooms should have no less than 60 square feet of floor space for each resident, while bunk bed rooms must have at least 50 square feet per resident. The specificity of some of these codes makes Pennsylvania’s regulations stand out among other states in the nation. They have really thought of everything! 

Pennsylvania’s Scheduled On-Site Renewal Inspections are No Walk in the Park for Addiction Treatment Providers, Either

When it comes time to renew your license in Pennsylvania, brace yourself. The state requires no fewer than 33 separate documents for the on-site review. They also ask that you prepare the documents ahead of time and place them in a room set aside specifically for the Licensing Specialist’s work. In addition to standard documents like operations manuals and policy and procedure manuals, Pennsylvania wants to see unusual documents like: 

• Written documentation proving that you’ve been holding monthly fire drills

• Documentation proving that you’re providing weekly trash removal 

• Individual training plans for every staff member, sorted by alphabetically by last name

• An evaluation of the previous year’s training plan 

• Documentation proving that you are training new staff to use a fire extinguisher within 7 days of hire 

The state cheerfully concludes this list affirming that it “appreciates your advanced preparations for this inspection.” You can read the entire list of documents in the Materials to Be Available for Review for Scheduled On-Site Licensure Inspection by the Division of Drug and Alcohol Program Licensure PDF. 

If You’re Opening an Addiction Treatment Center in Pennsylvania, We Can Help 

Behave Health is committed to making it easier - and more profitable - to operate evidence-based, results-focused addiction treatment centers.  

Our all-in-one app puts clinical, administration, staff, admissions, alumni, residents, treatment plans, billing, insurance authorizations and more - all at your fingertips. 

Get your organization off to a strong start from the beginning. Don’t let disorganization and chaos stifle your business’ potential.

Get your free trial started today and see why more addiction treatment centers prefer Behave Health.