HLS 19RS-3515 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 118
BY REPRESENTATIVES MIKE JOHNSON, ANDERS, BILLIOT, TERRY BROWN,
COX, LANCE HARRIS, HILL, HOWARD, LARVADAIN, AND MCFARLAND
AND SENATORS LONG AND LUNEAU
HEALTH/BEHAVIORAL: Urges the office of behavioral health to ensure access to
substance use disorder treatment in central La. pursuant to the impending closure of
four residential treatment facilities in the Pineville area
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge the office of behavioral health of the Louisiana Department of Health to take all
3 measures necessary to ensure adequate access to substance use disorder treatment in
4 central Louisiana pursuant to the impending closure of four residential treatment
5 facilities in the Pineville area, and to report to the legislative committees on health
6 and welfare concerning the actions it is taking to provide for this access.
7 WHEREAS, providing access to substance use disorder treatment is a vital public
8health priority of this state; and
9 WHEREAS, as evidenced by its creation of the Commission on Preventing Opioid
10Abuse through House Concurrent Resolution No. 113 of the 2016 Regular Session and the
11Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education, commonly known as the
12"HOPE Council", through Act No. 88 of the 2017 Regular Session, as well as its
13consideration of extensive legislation in this 2019 Regular Session on enhancing access to
14substance use disorder treatment, the Legislature of Louisiana earnestly strives to address
15the dire impacts of drug and alcohol abuse on families and communities of our state; and
16 WHEREAS, many central Louisiana residents, including legislators and other elected
17officials, first learned of the impending closure of four residential substance use disorder
18treatment centers in Pineville through local television media in late May of 2019; and
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HCR NO. 118
1 WHEREAS, these local news stories reported that the four privately owned treatment
2centers are scheduled to close on June 30, 2019; and
3 WHEREAS, officials with the Louisiana Department of Health have stated that the
4department has known of these impending closures for a period of months; and
5 WHEREAS, these officials also indicate that the department's office of behavioral
6health is working to ensure that no gap in services will occur for Medicaid enrollees
7currently receiving treatment at the four centers which are due to close, and that efforts are
8underway to build treatment capacity in the Pineville area back to current levels within three
9to six months of the closures; and
10 WHEREAS, it is extremely important for the state to succeed in the task of
11rebuilding residential treatment center capacity in central Louisiana, and for the Louisiana
12Department of Health to keep elected officials and the general public in the affected region
13apprised of where people may access the substance abuse treatment they need as existing
14facilities close and new facilities and services become available.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
16urge the office of behavioral health of the Louisiana Department of Health to take all
17measures necessary to ensure adequate access to substance use disorder treatment in central
18Louisiana pursuant to the scheduled closure on June 30, 2019, of four residential treatment
19facilities in the Pineville area.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does also urge the
21Louisiana Department of Health to take all of the following actions in order to ensure
22continuity of care for current clients of the Pineville-area treatment facilities that are
23scheduled to close and access to services for persons seeking treatment:
24 (1) Assist the treatment facilities that are scheduled to close in remaining open until
25new treatment facilities in the Pineville area are licensed and opened.
26 (2) Provide technical assistance to entities that apply for licensure of residential
27substance use disorder treatment facilities in the Pineville area and expedite those entities'
28license applications.
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1 (3) Explore means by which existing properties that are underutilized or vacant but
2suitable for conversion for use as residential treatment facilities could be used as temporary
3treatment facilities until new permanent facilities are licensed and opened.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of behavioral health shall submit two
5reports to the House Committee on Health and Welfare and the Senate Committee on Health
6and Welfare concerning the efforts called for in this Resolution to provide continuity in and
7rebuild substance use disorder treatment capacity in the Pineville area.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of behavioral health shall submit the
9first report required by this Resolution on or before September 30, 2019, and shall submit
10the second report required by this Resolution on or before December 31, 2019.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
12secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 118 Original 2019 Regular Session Mike Johnson
Urges the office of behavioral health of the La. Department of Health to take all measures
necessary to ensure adequate access to substance use disorder treatment in central La.
pursuant to the impending closure of four residential treatment facilities in the Pineville area,
and to report to the legislative committees on health and welfare concerning actions to
provide for this access.
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