House Bill No. 5597
Public Act No. 21-113
AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOIDS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Mental Health and
Addiction Services;
(2) "Department" means the "Department of Mental Health and
Addiction Services;
(3) "Opioid use disorder" means a medical condition characterized by
a problematic pattern of opioid use and misuse leading to clinically
significant impairment or distress; and
(4) "Peer navigator" means a person who (A) has experience working
with persons with substance use disorder, as defined in section 20-74 of
the general statutes, (B) provides nonmedical mental health care and
substance use services to such persons, and (C) has a collaborative
relationship with a health care professional authorized to prescribe
medications to treat opioid use disorder.
(b) On or before January 1, 2022, the department shall establish,
within available appropriations, a pilot program in urban, suburban House Bill No. 5597
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and rural communities to serve persons with opioid use disorder in such
communities. The department shall establish the pilot program in up to
five such communities in accordance with such terms and conditions as
the commissioner may prescribe.
(c) Each community in which the pilot program is established under
subsection (b) of this section shall form a team of at least two peer
navigators. The team shall work in the community to (1) increase
engagement between providers of treatment services, health care and
social services and persons with opioid use disorder, (2) improve the
retention of such persons in treatment for opioid use disorder by
addressing social determinants of health of such persons and emerging
local conditions that affect such social determinants of health, and (3)
increase the capacity of the community to support such persons by
identifying and addressing systemic barriers to treatment services,
health care, social services and social support of such persons. The team
shall (A) travel throughout the community to address, in person, the
health care and social needs of persons with opioid use disorder, and
(B) be accessible to such persons through (i) a telephone number that
has texting capabilities, and (ii) social media. Each peer navigator that
participates in the pilot program shall receive regularly updated
training, as determined by the commissioner, on noncoercive and
nonstigmatizing methods for engaging those with opioid use disorder.
(d) On or before January 1, 2023, the commissioner shall report, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes,
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to public health regarding the success of
the pilot program in serving persons with opioid use disorder and any
recommendations for continuing the pilot program or expanding the
pilot program into other communities in the state.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) On or before January 1, 2022, the
Commissioner of Public Health shall (1) establish guidelines for the use House Bill No. 5597
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of evidence-based, nonpharmaceutical therapies to treat chronic pain,
including, but not limited to, chiropractic treatment and physical
therapy, and (2) conduct educational and outreach activities to raise
awareness of such guidelines.