BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 973
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SENATE THIRD READING
SB 973 (Ed Hernandez)
As Amended June 2, 2014
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :36-0
HEALTH 17-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Pan, Maienschein, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, |
| |Ammiano, Bonilla, Bonta, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Chesbro, Gomez, Gonzalez, | |Calderon, Campos, |
| |Roger Hernández, | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| |Lowenthal, Mansoor, | |Holden, Jones, Linder, |
| |Nazarian, Nestande, | |Pan, Quirk, |
| |Patterson, Ridley-Thomas, | |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, |
| |Rodriguez, Wieckowski | |Lowenthal |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Allows individuals to be admitted into a narcotic
treatment program (NTP) when deemed necessary by a medical
director, requires NTPs to maintain an individual record of each
patient, and allows a medical director to determine whether or
not to dilute take-home doses of controlled substances, as
specified.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill would have minor costs to the Department of
Health Care Services to update applicable regulations, likely
under $50,000 and likely minor, absorbable costs to county Drug
Medi-Cal programs (local realignment funds).
COMMENTS : According to the author, making patients wait seven
days to re-enter treatment at any point during addiction
recovery not only presents a lost opportunity for keeping a
person in treatment but also causes unnecessary suffering for
those who are already vulnerable because of complex health and
social factors, such as co-occurring disorders, homelessness,
and stigma. In order to cope with withdrawal symptoms while
waiting to re-enter treatment, patients often return to
substance abuse. The author states that this bill removes
barriers to accessing treatment and prevents unnecessary
discomfort for patients in addiction recovery by allowing NTPs
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to admit patients at the discretion of the NTP's medical
director.
According to a publication by the National Institute on Drug
Abuse's titled Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment, in 2011,
21.6 million people aged 12 or older needed treatment for an
illicit drug or alcohol use problem but only 2.3 million
received treatment at a specialty substance abuse facility.
Because addiction is a disease, most people cannot simply stop
using drugs for a few days and be cured. Patients typically
require long-term or repeated episodes of care to achieve the
ultimate goal of sustained abstinence and recovery of their
lives. Because drug addiction is typically a chronic disorder
characterized by occasional relapses, a short-term, one-time
treatment is usually not sufficient.
According to the California Association of Alcohol and Drug
Program Executives, by eliminating the seven-day waiting period,
this bill will update state laws and remove barriers that
prevent individuals from accessing appropriate care and ensure
timely access and continuity of care.
According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the current requirement
that a patient wait seven days to be readmitted to care is
problematic and potentially very harmful, and can lead to
adverse health impacts, including overdose.
The County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association
of California write that state statutes and regulations
governing NTPs have not kept up with changing substance abuse
disorder populations and best practices, and this bill revises
several outdated regulations to reflect advances in the field of
narcotic treatment.
There is no opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097
FN: 0004449
SB 973
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