“I am taking this step to protect Pennsylvanians from this looming public health crisis, and I am using every tool at my disposal to get those suffering from substance use disorders into treatment, save more lives, and improve response coordination.” Among the declaration’s specifics are 13 key initiatives that are the culmination of a collaboration between all state agencies, with focus on the departments of Health, Drug and Alcohol Programs, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and the Pennsylvania State Police. “I routinely challenge all commonwealth agencies to think innovatively about how they continue to address the opioid epidemic and seek solutions that last long beyond our tenure in this building,” Governor Wolf said. Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Rick Flynn described the approach as “a whole government, whole community response.”

Disaster emergency declarations are normally issued after severe weather emergencies.
Tom Wolf, the Governor of Pennsylvania, issues a disaster declaration over the "heroin and opioid epidemic”, starting an Opioid Operational Command Center at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.