AB 2437: Alcohol and drug programs.

(a)It is the intent of the Legislature that the The administrative and programmatic functions of the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs be are transferred to the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Public Health effective July 1, 2013. It is further the intent of the Legislature that this transfer happen efficiently and effectively, with no interruptions in service delivery. This transfer is designed to: to do all of the following:

(1)Consolidate within a single state department, the State Department of Health Care Services, all substance use disorder functions and programs from the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

(2)Align with federal and county partners by consolidating substance use disorder and community mental health functions and programs within one department.

(3)Promote opportunities for the improvement of health care delivery by integrating the state-level administration of substance use disorders, community mental health, and physical health to the benefit of communities and consumers with substance use disorders and cooccurring disorders.

(4)Ensure appropriate state oversight by consolidating the two key public funding sources, the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and the Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program, for the substance use disorder system in one state department.

(5)Provide effective state leadership on substance use disorder issues by positioning the State Department of Health Care Services to serve as a unified, strong voice to advocate, at both the state and federal levels, on behalf of the needs of communities, county partners, and consumers with substance use disorders.

(b)Effective July 1, 2013, the administrative and programmatic functions that were previously performed by the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs are transferred to the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Public Health in accordance with the act that added this section. Further, except as provided in Section 131055.2, any reference in state statute or regulation to the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs or the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse shall refer to the State Department of Health Care Services.