AB 182: Heroin and Opioid Public Education (HOPE) Act.

Session Year: 2017-2018
House: Assembly

Version:

Existing law vests the State Department of Health Care Services with duties, powers, purposes, functions, responsibilities, and jurisdiction of alcohol and drug programs in the state, including narcotic treatment programs that use narcotic replacement therapy for maintenance or detoxification of opioid medication dependence. Existing law requires the department to develop and implement a statewide prevention campaign designed to deter the abuse of methamphetamine in California, and authorizes the department to develop and implement a mass media alcohol and other drug education program in order to provide community education, develop public awareness, and motivate community action in alcohol and other drug abuse prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Existing law tasks the State Department of Public Health with certain specified duties related to health information and strategic planning, including opioid misuse and overdose prevention. Among other duties, existing law directs the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to award naloxone grant funding to local health departments, local government agencies, or other entities, as specified, in order to reduce the rate of fatal overdose from opioid drugs including heroin and prescription opioids.

This bill would require the department, in consultation with stakeholders, to develop, coordinate, implement, and oversee a comprehensive multicultural public awareness campaign, to be known as Heroin and Opioid Public Education (HOPE). (HOPE), upon appropriation by the Legislature or receipt of state or federal grant funding, until January 1, 2023. The bill would require the HOPE program to provide for the coordinated and widespread public dissemination of individual case stories and other generalized information that is designed to, focuses on, among other things, describe describing the effects and warning signs of heroin use and opioid medication abuse, so as to better enable members of the public to determine when help is needed and identify the and identifying available pathways that are available for individuals to seek seeking help. The bill would require the HOPE program to effectuate the dissemination of information by using appropriate types of media, as specified, employing a variety of complementary educational themes and messages that are tailored to appeal to different target audiences, and using culturally and linguistically appropriate means.

The bill would require the department to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature on at least an annual basis, that summarizes the actions that have been undertaken by the department to implement the bill and includes an assessment of the effectiveness of the HOPE program, as specified.

Discussed in Hearing