Allegheny County Unveils Groundbreaking Allegheny Recovery Plan
Published on September 09, 2026
Department of Human Services-Led Strategy Will Shift Focus to Long-Term Treatment Across Continuum of Care
PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County residents struggling with drug and alcohol use will soon have access to new support to live safer, fuller lives through a groundbreaking new initiative, the Allegheny Recovery Partnership Plan, which was introduced today by the county’s Department of Human Services. The plan will shift the substance use disorder (SUD) treatment system toward an evidence-based approach that aims to keep individuals engaged in long-term care that can enable them to manage their condition effectively while living in the community.
“This plan represents a fundamental shift in how we support people facing substance use challenges,” said County Executive Sara Innamorato. “By building a system rooted in connection, consistency, and compassion, we’re ensuring that even our most vulnerable residents have a clear, reliable path to care that adapts to their needs and stays with them for the long haul.”
Alex Jutca, Interim Director of the Department of Human Services, said, “Rather than treating the chronic condition of substance addiction with episodic care, the Allegheny Recovery Partnership Plan will create a system that functions as a true system; connecting people to care, anticipating and responding to setbacks, and enabling people to lead the lives they’ve imagined. We will streamline access to services, strengthen our residential treatment options, and build a radically different outpatient system of care that stewards people’s health for the long term.” The plan is built around three major reforms:
- Enhancing SUD residential treatment (colloquially known as “rehab”) through a series of new contracts with a select group of providers committed to increased coordination of care with outpatient treatment providers.
- Creating and financing an assertive outreach and retention (AOR) intervention that will work with patients in the community to keep them engaged in care, re-engage individuals who have fallen through gaps between services, and support those who are cycling through crisis levels of care (e.g., hospitals, emergency departments, jails, or residential levels of treatment).
- Developing a unified front door to treatment to enhance coordination for individuals either seeking SUD treatment or transitioning across treatment episodes or services.
Details of the plan are available at: https://qr.alleghenycounty.us/RecoveryPartnershipPlan
The plan seeks to break the cycle in which many people with SUDs find themselves returning multiple times to residential treatment centers, emergency rooms, and the criminal justice system. Currently, two-thirds of admissions to residential treatment are readmissions, with nearly one in five of those individuals having five or more prior episodes. A review of patients discharged from residential treatment between 2018 and 2025 found that within a year, 60% had an emergency room visit, 40% were readmitted to residential treatment, 25% were booked in the county jail, and 2.6% died.
Meanwhile, substantial research shows that the most effective treatments keep patients engaged over the long term through outpatient care including the use of medication-assisted therapies. Through this plan, Allegheny County will be able to shift from a system where nearly half of SUD treatment dollars are spent on residential care to one that increases the number of patients who can be treated in settings that increase stability and reduce cycling through crisis levels of care.
The Allegheny Recovery Partnership Plan was introduced today at a community event at Point Park University. Implementation will begin in the months ahead as the county issues new contracts to residential care providers and begins partnering with them to put an AOR approach into place and initiate protocols for greater collaboration with outpatient providers.
Media inquiries may be directed to Cydney Cooper, Public Information Officer for the Department of Human Services, at cydney.cooper@alleghenycounty.us or by phone at 412-506-0288.