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OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5597 (as amended by House "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOIDS.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Services (DMHAS) to establish a pilot program in up to five urban,
suburban, and rural communities to serve individuals with opioid use
disorder. The department must do this by January 1, 2022, and within
available appropriations.
Under the bill, each participating community must form a team of at
least two peer navigators who must, among other things, (1) travel
throughout the community to address the health care and social needs
of individuals with opioid use disorder and (2) complete regularly
updated training on non-coercive and non-stigmatizing methods for
engaging these individuals, as determined by the DMHAS
commissioner.
The bill also requires the DMHAS commissioner to report by
January 1, 2023, to the Public Health Committee on the pilot program,
including its success and any recommendations for its continuation or
expansion.
Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Public Health
commissioner, by January 1, 2022, to (1) establish guidelines for the use
of evidence-based, nonpharmaceutical therapies to treat chronic pain,
including chiropractic treatment and physical therapy, and (2) conduct
educational and outreach activities to raise awareness about these
guidelines.
*House Amendment “A” replaces the underlying bill, (1) removing
the provision establishing a task force to study protocols used by
certain health care professionals following opioid overdose deaths and 2021HB-05597-R010785-BA.DOCX
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(2) adding the pilot program provisions.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2021
PEER NAVIGATORS
The bill requires each community participating in the pilot program
to form a team of at least two peer navigators to work to:
1. increase engagement between individuals with opioid use
disorder and providers of treatment, healthcare and social
services;
2. improve the retention of these individuals in opioid use
treatment by addressing their social determinants of health and
emerging local conditions that affect these determinants; and
3. increase the community’s capacity to support these individuals
by identifying and addressing systemic barriers to treatment,
health care, and social services and social support.
The bill requires the team of peer navigators to (1) travel throughout
the community to address in-person the health care and social needs of
individuals with opioid use disorder and (2) be accessible to these
individuals through a phone number with texting capabilities and
social media.
Under the bill, a “peer navigator” is a person with experience
working with individuals with substance use disorder who (1)
provides nonmedical mental health care and substance use services
and (2) has a collaborative relationship with health care professionals
authorized to prescribe medications to treat opioid use disorder.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Health Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 33 Nay 0 (03/29/2021)