SB 34: Residential treatment facilities.

Existing law regulates alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities to provide recovery, treatment, or detoxification services within this state and makes the State Department of Health Care Services the sole authority in state government to license those facilities.

The bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to report to the Legislature, on or before January 1, 2019, regarding the effect of the concentration of residential alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities in a community on the health and recovery of residents of those facilities, as specified. The bill would also require, commencing January 1, 2019, the department to annually post on its Internet Web site information regarding the effect of the concentration of those facilities, including the number and nature of complaints submitted to the department regarding the concentration of those facilities and the findings of completed investigations by the department regarding the complaints. department, no later than January 1, 2019, to develop specified guidelines on how to report to the Legislature about licensed residential alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities. The bill would require the guidelines to address certain topics, including, among others, methods for determining whether complaints received by the department regarding facility overconcentration in communities are substantiated or unsubstantiated. The bill would require the department, no later than January 1, 2020, to complete and submit a report, using those guidelines, to the Legislature regarding its findings on licensed residential alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities. The bill would require the department to post the guidelines and the completed report on its Internet Web site.