BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 973 Page 1 SENATE THIRD READING SB 973 (Ed Hernandez) As Amended August 14, 2014 Majority vote SENATE VOTE :36-0 HEALTH 17-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |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 | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 to admit patients at the discretion of the NTP's medical SB 973 Page 2 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: 0004596 SB 973 Page 3