The end of Gov. Tom Wolf's opioid disaster declaration Wednesday will not affect the county's drug and alcohol programs, according to the program director.

Wolf renewed the declaration 14 times since he signed the first declaration in January 2018. The declaration allowed the state to loosen regulations and work outside of typical procedures to expedite aid and initiatives to help those suffering from opioid abuse and those who work to prevent and treat the disorder.

It allowed agencies more flexibility to coordinate and share resources to address the changing needs of communities throughout the state.

A state constitutional amendment approved in the May primary requires the General Assembly to approve disaster declarations that extend beyond 21 days, and leaders in the Republican-controlled House and Senate informed Wolf, a Democrat, that they would not approve another extension.

“I don't foresee any issues on this level of things,” said Donna Jenereski, director of the county's drug and alcohol programs. “We won't feel the impact of this declaration going away. It won't have any impact on our ability to serve people, to provide resources and help people find treatment in any way.”

She said state agencies and departments have assumed responsibility of programs such as the prescription drug monitoring program that were rolled out during the declaration, but the county drug and alcohol programs don't deal with those programs.

However, the end of the declaration means the Department of Health won't be able to share all information it gathers in the prescription drug monitoring program with sister agencies, Jenereski said.

House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-100th, and Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-34th, sent Wolf a letter Aug. 5 vowing to continue battling the ongoing opioid crisis, saying statewide efforts and more than a dozen laws passed between 2016 and 2020 have been aimed at combatting the crisis.

“While this is not the end of our efforts, we believe we have made some additional significant strides with the passage of legislation as a result of work initiated by our standing committees, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, state agencies and other work groups,” the letter said.

Only three other states have opioid declarations in place, according to the letter.

“Therefore, we believe that rather than renewing the disaster declaration for a 15th time, we assure you of our commitment to continuing our vital work in the weeks, months and years ahead,” the letter said.