AB 2332: Corrections: health care.

Existing law establishes the Division of Health Care Operations and the Division of Health Care Policy and Administration within the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) under the supervision of the Undersecretary of Health Care Services. Existing law requires the department to expand substance abuse treatment services in prisons to accommodate at least 4,000 additional inmates who have histories of substance abuse. Existing law requires the department to establish a 3-year pilot program to provide a medically assisted substance use disorder treatment model for the treatment of inmates, as specified.

This bill would require the CDCR to take specific actions in the provision of substance use treatment, such as ensuring uniform application of the California Correctional Health Care Services Care Guide and retaining at least one full-time addiction medicine physician and surgeon at each facility to be assigned medication-assisted treatment patients exclusively. The bill would require the CDCR to provide physicians and surgeons clear guidance on interpretation of certain toxicology tests, the misuse, abuse, and illegal distribution of substances, and access to alternative medication. The bill would require the CDCR to provide physicians and surgeons training consisting of at least 8 hours of integrated substance use disorder treatment didactic training, 3 days of shadowing an integrated substance use disorder treatment practice, and an annual training of at least 8 hours covering specified topics.

The bill would require the CDCR to form a working group consisting of 6 members of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and integrated substance use disorder treatment program departmental representation with the authority to make decisions for the purpose of identifying program areas for improvement or additional training that could be offered to certain employees, in order to enhance program success.

Existing regulations establish a process for the CDCR to verify licenses and credentials of newly hired health care providers.

This bill would require that process to include addiction medicine as an additional qualification.