SB 992: Alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities by the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law defines alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility to mean any premises, place, or building that provides 24-hour residential nonmedical services, as defined, to adults who are recovering from problems related to alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug misuse or abuse, and who need alcohol, drug, or alcohol and drug recovery treatment or detoxification services. Existing law requires licensees to provide specified nonmedical services, including recovery, treatment, or detoxification, and requires the department to adopt regulations requiring records and procedures that are appropriate for those services, including discharge and continuing care planning. Existing law authorizes the department to certify alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment programs, to, among other things, identify programs that exceed minimal levels of service quality.

This bill would change the definition of alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility to include facilities that provide residential nonmedical services for less than 24 hours in a day, thereby subjecting additional facilities to the above-referenced licensing and regulatory requirements applicable to those facilities.

This bill would require all programs licensed or certified by the department through the provisions above to disclose specified information to the department, including, among other things, ownership of a recovery residence, as defined.

The bill would require a licensee to develop a plan to address when a resident relapses that would include, among other things, discharge and continuing care planning, as specified. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations to implement that provision no later than January 1, 2021, and would authorize the use of bulletin or all-county or all-provider letters, until those regulations are adopted. The bill would prohibit a licensee from denying admission to any individual based solely on the individual having a valid prescription from a licensed health care professional for a medication approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the purpose of narcotic replacement treatment or medication-assisted treatment of substance use disorders. The bill would authorize the department to terminate review of an application for licensure from any person or entity that previously had a license suspended or revoked for a period of 5 years after the suspension or revocation.