Bill Text: CT SB00353 | 2016 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Opioid Use Disorder.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-05-03 - Senate Recommitted to Public Health [SB00353 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2016-SB00353-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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February Session, 2016 |
*_____SB00353PH____032216____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOID USE DISORDER.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17a-667 of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
(a) There is established a Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Policy Council which shall be within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
(b) The council shall consist of the following members: (1) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee; (2) the Commissioners of Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Correction, Education, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Public Health, Emergency Services and Public Protection and Social Services, Commissioner on Aging, and the Insurance Commissioner, or their designees; (3) the Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator's designee; (4) the chairperson of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, or the chairperson's designee; (5) the president of The University of Connecticut, or the president's designee; (6) the Chief State's Attorney, or the Chief State's Attorney's designee; (7) the Chief Public Defender, or the Chief Public Defender's designee; and (8) the cochairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, criminal justice and appropriations, or their designees. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Commissioner of Children and Families shall be cochairpersons of the council and may jointly appoint up to [seven] thirteen individuals to the council as follows: (A) Two individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder or representing an advocacy group for individuals with a substance use disorder; (B) a provider of community-based substance abuse services for adults; (C) a provider of community-based substance abuse services for adolescents; (D) an addiction medicine physician; (E) a family member of an individual in recovery from a substance use disorder; [and] (F) an emergency medicine physician currently practicing in a Connecticut hospital; (G) a licensed alcohol and drug counselor; (H) a pharmacist; (I) two municipal police chiefs; (J) an emergency medical technician, as defined in section 19a-197a; and (K) the executive director of the Health Assistance Intervention Education Network, or the executive director's designee.
(c) The council shall review policies and practices of state agencies and the Judicial Department concerning substance abuse treatment programs, substance abuse prevention services, the referral of persons to such programs and services, and criminal justice sanctions and programs and shall develop and coordinate a state-wide, interagency, integrated plan for such programs and services and criminal sanctions. In developing such plan, the council may consult with local, national and international experts on substance abuse and hold public forums to receive comments from members of the public. Such plan may include: (1) A strategy for providing information on, and referrals to, medication-assisted treatment at every location where opioid users are found in the health care system, criminal justice system, drug treatment programs and other places in the community; (2) overdose rescue strategies that include the use of opioid antagonists as a standard of care; (3) methods for safer drug prescribing and dispensing, including training and education of physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and dentists concerning opioid prescribing; (4) recovery supports such as peer recovery services; (5) an evaluation of, and recommendations for, long-term recovery treatment services and facilities in the state; (6) development of an Internet web site that allows for community input, such as surveys, and offers information about opioid use disorder and a listing of available recovery treatment services offered in the state; and (7) development of a program to allow local police officers and emergency medical technicians to connect with persons in the community seeking recovery from addiction and to offer immediate help. Each component of the plan shall be evidence-based, data-driven, sustainable and responsive to changes in the nature of drug addiction and drug overdoses. The plan shall contain outcome-driven and measurable goals, including, but not limited to, a reduction in the number of opioid-induced deaths.
Sec. 2. Subsection (h) of section 20-206bb of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, any person certified by an organization approved by the Commissioner of Public Health may practice auricular acupuncture for the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, provided the treatment is performed under the supervision of a physician licensed under chapter 370. [and is performed in either (1) a private freestanding facility licensed by the Department of Public Health for the care or treatment of substance abusive or dependent persons, or (2) a setting operated by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.] The Commissioner of Public Health shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to ensure the safe provision of auricular acupuncture [within private freestanding facilities licensed by the Department of Public Health for the care or treatment of substance abusive or dependent persons] for the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2016) (a) For purposes of this section, "primary care provider" means a physician licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes, an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 378 of the general statutes or a physician assistant licensed under chapter 370 of the general statutes.
(b) Any primary care provider may (1) refer a patient to a licensed alcohol and drug counselor licensed under chapter 376b of the general statutes for an assessment of opioid abuse or intervention for the prevention of opioid abuse, or (2) prescribe an opioid to a patient conditioned on the patient's agreement to accept a referral to a licensed alcohol and drug counselor.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2016) Any licensed alcohol and drug counselor licensed under chapter 376b of the general statutes may: (1) Conduct a substance use disorder screening or psychosocial history evaluation of a patient to document the patient's use of drugs prescribed for pain, other prescribed drugs, illegal drugs and alcohol to determine the patient's risk for substance abuse; (2) develop a preliminary diagnosis for the patient based on such screening or evaluation; (3) determine the patient's risk for abuse of prescribed drugs and, if needed, develop a treatment plan and referral options for the patient; (4) take such action after providing services to a patient to ensure the patient has received the recommended services and treatment and that the patient's recovery support needs are being met; or (5) submit an opioid use consultation report to a patient's primary care provider, as defined in section 3 of this act, to be reviewed by the primary care provider and included in the patient's medical record.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
October 1, 2016 |
17a-667 |
Sec. 2 |
October 1, 2016 |
20-206bb(h) |
Sec. 3 |
October 1, 2016 |
New section |
Sec. 4 |
October 1, 2016 |
New section |
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 1(c)(6), "recovery services" was changed to "recovery treatment services" for internal consistency; in Section 1(c)(7), "persons seeking recovery from addiction in the community" was changed to "persons in the community seeking recovery from addiction" for clarity; and in Section 4(1), "substance abuse disorder" was changed to "substance use disorder" for statutory consistency.
PH |
Joint Favorable Subst. |