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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6913
AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOIDS.
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes related to opioid use disorder
prevention and treatment. Principally, it:
1. requires licensed substance abuse treatment facilities to comply
with specified requirements for patient record retention, post-
treatment contact, and referrals for additional treatment services
(§ 1);
2. requires the president of each higher education institution, by
January 1, 2024, to report to the Public Health and Higher
Education and Employment Advancement committees on the
implementation of its required policy on opioid antagonist
availability and use on campus (see BACKGROUND) (§ 2);
3. requires the Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Services (DMHAS), by January 1, 2024, to create a pilot program
where licensed health care providers give prescription digital
therapeutics to patients with opioid or other substance use
disorders to manage or treat it (§ 3);
4. prohibits practitioners authorized to dispense controlled
substances (e.g., methadone) from a mobile unit from doing so
within 500 feet of an elementary or secondary school, child care
center, playground, or public park, except within a private
residence (§ 4);
5. requires DMHAS and certain other state agencies, such as the
Department of Children and Families (DCF), to develop plans or
conduct evaluations related to various supports for parents,
other child caregivers, or pregnant individuals with substance 2023HB-06913-R000595-BA.DOCX
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use disorder (§§ 5-9);
6. requires DCF to evaluate the quality of practice, safety planning,
and service delivery to families with open department cases
involving substance use disorder and report to the Public Health
and Children’s committees on the evaluation by January 1, 2024
(§ 10); and
7. increases, from 37 to 39, the membership of the Opioid Settlement
Fund Advisory Committee, by adding two members with
experience supporting infants and children affected by the opioid
crisis, appointed by the DMHAS commissioner (see
BACKGROUND) (§ 11).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage except that the provisions on (1)
mobile units for dispensing controlled substances take effect October 1,
2023, and (2) the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee take effect July
1, 2023.
§ 1 — SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREA TMENT FACILITIES
The bill requires licensed substance abuse treatment facilities to do
the following:
1. retain patient records post-treatment according to standard
record-keeping practices for these facilities and include the
patient’s address, phone number, and any additional contact
information they share;
2. contact, or attempt to contact, the patient for a status update on
his or her mental and physical health at least once every four
months for at least one year after the patient last received
treatment; and
3. offer to refer patients to additional substance use disorder
treatment services if they express a need or desire for the services.
§ 3 — DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS PILOT PROGRAM
By January 1, 2024, the bill requires DMHAS to collaborate with the
Department of Public Health (DPH) to create a pilot program where 2023HB-06913-R000595-BA.DOCX
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licensed health care providers prescribe prescription digital
therapeutics to patients with an opioid or other substance use disorder
to manage and treat it.
Under the bill, “prescription digital therapeutics” are software-based
medical devices that (1) are cleared or approved by the federal Food and
Drug Administration, (2) are intended to prevent, manage, or treat a
substance use disorder, (3) are prescribed to patients by licensed health
care providers, and (4) patients can access through a mobile device
application.
The bill requires the DMHAS and DPH commissioners to jointly
develop the pilot program’s eligibility criteria and guidelines. The
guidelines must include authorizing prescription digital therapeutics to
be provided to up to 1,000 patients for at least three months.
Under the bill, the DMHAS commissioner must report to the Public
Health Committee by January 1, 2025, on the pilot program’s
implementation and any recommendations to continue or expand it.
§ 4 — MOBILE UNITS FOR DIS PENSING CONTROLLED
SUBSTANCES
The bill generally prohibits practitioners from dispensing controlled
substances (e.g., methadone) from a mobile unit for patient treatment
within 500 feet of an elementary or secondary school property, child
care center, playground, or public park. It exempts from the prohibition
a private residence if the controlled substance is dispensed inside of it.
By law, practitioners authorized to distribute, administer, or
prescribe controlled substances may dispense them from a mobile unit
at a different location than the one they used for Department of
Consumer Protection (DCP) controlled substances registration if they
meet specified notification, reporting, and medication storage
requirements.
§ 5 — CHILD CAREGIVER SUBSTANCE USE DISORD ER
PROGRAM PLAN
The bill requires DMHAS, DCF, and the Department of Social
Services (DSS) to evaluate substance use disorder programs for people 2023HB-06913-R000595-BA.DOCX
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who are child caregivers and related treatment barriers. In conducting
the evaluation, the departments must consult with direct service
providers and people with lived experience.
The departments must also develop a plan to establish and
implement programs to treat these people and their children, that
include the following:
1. in all geographic areas, same-day access to family-centered
medication-assisted treatment, including prenatal and perinatal
care, and access to supports that provide a bridge to the
treatment;
2. intensive in-home treatment supports;
3. gender-specific programming;
4. expanded access to residential programs for pregnant and
parenting people, including residential programs for parents
who have more than one child or who have children over age
seven; and
5. access to recovery support specialists and peer support to
provide care coordination.
The bill requires the commissioners, by January 1, 2024, to jointly
report to the Children’s, Human Services, and Public Health committees
on the plan and legislative recommendations needed to implement the
programs.
§ 6 — CHILD CARE SUPPORTS AND SUBSIDIES PLAN
The bill requires DMHAS and DSS to collaborate with the Office of
Early Childhood and create a plan to allow parents in substance use
disorder treatment to qualify for child care supports and subsidies. The
DMHAS and DSS commissioners must jointly report on the plan to the
Human Services and Public Health committees by January 1, 2024.
§ 7 — HOUSING SUPPORT S PLAN
The bill requires DMHAS, DSS, and the Department of Housing to
develop a plan ensuring that pregnant and parenting persons in 2023HB-06913-R000595-BA.DOCX
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treatment for substance use disorder have access to supportive housing.
The commissioners must jointly report on the plan to the Housing,
Public Health, and Human Services committees by January 1, 2024.
§ 8 — PLAN ON SUBSTANCE US E DISORDER TREATMENT FOR
PARENTS INVOLVED WIT H DCF
The bill requires DCF, DMHAS, and DSS to develop a plan to ensure
parents involved with DCF have appropriate substance use disorder
treatment to prevent children’s removal from their parents, when
possible, and to support reunification when removal is necessary. The
plan must consider in-home parenting and child care services to help
with safety planning during initial stages of treatment and recovery.
The bill requires the commissioners to jointly report to the Children’s,
Human Services, and Public Health committees on the plan by January
1, 2024.
§ 9 — EVALUATION OF S ERVICES FOR PREGNANT AND
PARENTING INDIVIDUALS
The bill requires DCF, DMHAS, and DSS to evaluate existing
substance use disorder treatment services for pregnant and parenting
people, their use, and any areas where additional services are necessary.
The commissioners must jointly report on the evaluation to the Public
Health Committee by January 1, 2024, and then semiannually after that
until January 1, 2025.
§ 10 — DCF EVALUATION ON SUBST ANCE USE DISORDER
TREATMENT SERVICES F OR PREGNANT AND PARE NTING
PERSONS
The bill requires DCF to evaluate the quality of practice, safety
planning, and service delivery to families with open department cases,
including (1) the timely availability and use of services necessary to
mitigate child safety concerns in the home when the child’s caregiver
has a substance use disorder and (2) tracking treatment outcomes for
child caregivers.
The bill requires the DCF commissioner to report to the Children’s
and Public Health committees on the evaluation by January 1, 2024. 2023HB-06913-R000595-BA.DOCX
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BACKGROUND
Higher Education Institution Opioid Antagonist Policies
Existing law required each higher education institution, by January
1, 2020, to (1) develop and implement a policy on opioid antagonist
availability and use by students and employees, (2) submit it to the
Department of Consumer Protection for approval, and (3) post it on the
institution’s website once approved.
Among other things, the policy must (1) designate a medical or public
safety professional to oversee purchasing, storing, and distributing
opioid antagonists on each campus; (2) identify where on each campus
opioid antagonists are stored and make the locations known and
accessible to students and employees; and (3) require an institution
representative to call 9-1-1 or a local emergency medical services
provider after each observed or reported use unless the person already
received medical treatment for the opioid-related drug overdose.
Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee
By law, the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee ensures (1)
Opioid Settlement Fund moneys are allocated and spent on specified
substance use disorder abatement purposes and (2) robust public
involvement, accountability, and transparency in allocating and
accounting for the fund’s moneys.
Currently, the committee consists of 31 state and local government
officials and six public members and is chaired by the DMHAS
commissioner and a municipal representative. The committee must
meet quarterly and annually report to the Appropriations and Public
Health committees on the fund’s activities.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Public Health Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 37 Nay 0 (03/27/2023)