BILL NUMBER: AB 2483 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 1, 2004
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chan
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Hancock)
(Coauthor: Senator Vasconcellos)
FEBRUARY 19, 2004
An act to add Chapter 3.7 (commencing with Section 11758.60)
to Part 1 of Division 10.5 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to substance abuse.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2483, as amended, Chan. Adolescent alcohol and substance abuse
care.
Existing law, the Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Treatment and
Recovery Program Act of 1998, requires the State Department of
Alcohol and Drug Programs, in collaboration with counties and
providers, to establish community-based recovery programs to
intervene and treat the problems of alcohol and drugs among youth.
This bill would establish a 3-year pilot program to require the
department to provide a one-time grant to prescribed counties to
establish a coalition of representatives from all entities that
receive public funds for youth services that would, among other
things, develop an annual plan for each of the 3 pilot years to
ensure an evidence-based methodology to provide services to
adolescents with alcohol and other drug-related problems. The bill
would require the department to evaluate the program and to report to
the Legislature by June 1, 2007.
Existing law requires the State Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs to implement programs related to the use of alcohol and
drugs, including the licensure of alcoholism or drug abuse recovery
or treatment facilities serving adults.
This bill would state the Legislature's intent to enact
legislation that would require all counties to develop an annual plan
to develop an evidence-based methodology, which meets specified
requirements, to provide services to adolescents with alcohol and
other drug-related problems.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:
no yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature to enact
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Alcohol and drug use and abuse is a common problem among
California adolescents. According to the 2002 California Student
Survey, an alarming 26 percent of 11th graders reported binge
drinking (consumption of five drinks in a row on at least one
occasion) in the previous 30 days. In addition, 23 percent of 11th
graders reported marijuana use in the previous 30 days, and 15
percent reported use of marijuana in the past three days.
(b) The problem seems to be worsening, according to the United
States Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which
reports an increase of almost 150 percent for drug violations among
adolescents nationally in the past several years.
(c) When adolescents drink alcohol, they typically binge drink--a
pattern of use that leads to alcoholism and problem drinking later in
life. Children who begin drinking before 15 years of age are four
times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin at 21
years of age. Underage alcohol consumption leads to societal costs
that average approximately $530 per household per year.
(d) However, despite the need for substance abuse treatment
programs, only 1 in 10 adolescents in California who need publicly
funded treatment actually receive it, according to the Legislative
Analyst's office. Moreover, there are few treatment programs in
California that cater to the specific needs of adolescents. Research
shows that the most successful programs for adolescents must involve
the youth's family and community, and focus on the whole
child--across health, education, and other social disciplines. Due
to the lack of availability of adolescent-centered treatment
programs, adolescents are often forced to seek treatment from
programs that are designed for adults, resulting in inappropriate and
ineffective treatment.
(e) Youth are served best when they are provided a streamlined
continuum of care, from the first prevention and early intervention
efforts through screening, assessment, treatment, relapse prevention,
and aftercare. Studies show that when agencies collaborate in
developing a research-based, integrated system of care, they can
maximize their effectiveness while making optimal use of limited
resources. Yet, the limited funds available for substance abuse
prevention and treatment are delivered to counties, schools, and
prisons through a fragmented system of more than 15 separate funding
streams lacking a central focal point.
SEC. 2. Chapter 3.7 (commencing with Section 11758.60) is added to
Part 1 of Division 10.5 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:
CHAPTER 3.7. ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE CARE PILOT
PROGRAM
11758.60. (a) A three-year pilot program is hereby established,
to be administered by the State Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs to provide grants to all of the following counties that
elect to participate, to develop an annual county plan to ensure an
evidence-based methodology to provide services to adolescents with
alcohol and other drug-related problems:
(1) The County of Alameda.
(2) The City and County of San Francisco.
(3) The County of Orange.
(4) The County of Mendocino.
(b) The department shall provide a one-time grant of one hundred
thousand dollars ($100,000) to each of the participating counties to
pay for the administrative costs of participating in the pilot
project, and to pay for technical assistance to help the coalition
established pursuant to Section 11758.62 develop the county plan.
The department may seek assistance, including financial and in-kind
assistance, from other government, educational, and private sources
to pay for the above grants to participating counties. The
department shall distribute the grants by February 1, 2005.
Participating counties shall provide a local match equal to the
grant.
11758.62. (a) A participating county shall establish a coalition
comprised of representatives from all entities that receive public
funds for youth services, including, but not limited to, mental
health programs, substance abuse programs, probation offices, school
districts, public health programs, substance abuse treatment
providers, social services programs, law enforcement agencies, and
juvenile justice judges.
(b) The coalition shall define the primary components necessary
for an effective continuum of care and services for adolescents with
alcohol and other drug-related problems.
(c) The county alcohol and drug program administrator shall assume
the lead in recruiting and coordinating coalition members, advising,
and advancing the coalition's work. The administrator shall
integrate the work of the coalition with that of other appropriate
groups in the county.
11758.64. The coalition shall do all of the following:
(a) Create opportunities for agencies to share information and
increase awareness of the strengths and resources of other agencies.
(b) Provide a vehicle through which agencies and organizations can
coordinate and streamline services and eliminate duplication of
resources, thereby maximizing the use of funding available to the
community while enhancing the effectiveness of programs serving
youth.
(c) Serve as a unified voice for adolescents, and thereby
influence the way in which all funds are disbursed, and cooperate to
use existing funds to maximize their effectiveness from both a
medical and economic perspective.
(d) Look beyond the traditional substance abuse treatment model to
achieve the goal of making adolescent substance abuse treatment a
communitywide endeavor.
(e) Take inventory of the county's existing capabilities for
protecting and caring for youth throughout the continuum of care.
(f) Identify gaps in the current system, by exploring existing
programs and services available in a broad array of settings, from
schools and afterschool programs to social service agencies, the
juvenile justice system, community activities, and treatment
programs.
(g) Define resources available in the county to serve adolescents,
whether the funds are designated specifically for adolescent
substance abuse services or simply for general programs serving
youth.
(h) Develop an annual plan for each of the three pilot years for
the provision of adolescent alcohol and drug services that addresses
the gaps by developing a thorough understanding of the strengths and
shortfalls of the communitywide adolescent substance abuse care
system using existing resources and developing additional resources,
as needed.
11758.66. (a) The annual plan shall do all of the following:
(1) Define the key components needed to provide an evidence-based
continuum of care for adolescents through an assessment of county
goals, capabilities, requirements, and funding.
(2) Require that every component of the continuum of care be
geared to the specific needs of the adolescent and use research-based
practices to produce measurable outcomes across all agencies
involved in the youth's care.
(3) Require that all programs that are part of an integrated
continuum of care for adolescents be relevant, developmentally
appropriate and meaningful for the youth they serve, and for the
youth's family and the community, and that they address each stage of
an adolescent's involvement with alcohol and other drugs.
(4) Provide treatment in the least restrictive environment
appropriate.
(5) Require a periodic evaluation of the youth's response to
treatment, with care or services adjusted as needed.
(b) Participating counties shall complete their initial annual
plan within six months of receiving funding from the department.
(c) The annual plan shall be approved by the board of supervisors.
11758.68. (a) The department shall complete an evaluation of this
pilot project and shall submit the evaluation to the appropriate
policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by June 1, 2007.
(b) The evaluation shall examine the effectiveness of the pilot
project in solving both of the following problems:
(1) The lack of appropriate treatment for adolescents with
substance abuse problems.
(2) The lack of coordination between existing county programs
serving adolescents with substance abuse problems.
(c) The evaluation shall include recommendations for the
Legislature regarding the continuation and improvement of the
project. legislation that will require all counties to
develop an annual plan to ensure an evidence-based methodology to
provide services to adolescents with alcohol and other drug-related
problems that meets all of the following requirements:
(a) The plan outlines existing county services for adolescents
with alcohol and other drug-related problems, identifies service
gaps, and sets goals and identifies solutions to ensure that those
service gaps will be filled.
(b) The plan requires the county to establish a coalition, under
the direction and supervision of an adolescent substance abuse expert
appointed by the county's board of supervisors, that is vested with
the authority to define the primary components necessary for an
effective continuum of care and services for adolescents with alcohol
and other drug-related problems.
(c) The plan requires the coalition to be comprised of
representatives from all entities that receive public funds for youth
services, including, but not limited to, mental health programs,
substance abuse programs, probation offices, school districts, public
health programs, substance abuse treatment providers, social
services programs, law enforcement agencies, and juvenile justice
judges.
(d) The plan is required to be approved annually by the county
board of supervisors.