ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 118
BY REPRESENTATIVES MIKE JOHNSON, ADAMS, ANDERS, ARMES, BILLIOT,
TERRY BROWN, CARMODY, STEVE CARTER, COX, DUBUISSON, LANCE
HARRIS, HILL, HOWARD, JEFFERSON, ROBERT JOHNSON, LARVADAIN,
LEBAS, MAGEE, MCFARLAND, THOMAS, TURNER, WHITE, AND
ZERINGUE AND SENATORS LONG AND LUNEAU
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge the office of behavioral health of the Louisiana Department of Health to take all
measures necessary to ensure adequate access to substance use disorder treatment in
central Louisiana 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 the actions it is taking to provide for this access.
WHEREAS, providing access to substance use disorder treatment is a vital public
health priority of this state; and
WHEREAS, as evidenced by its creation of the Commission on Preventing Opioid
Abuse through House Concurrent Resolution No. 113 of the 2016 Regular Session and the
Advisory Council on Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education, commonly known as the
"HOPE Council", through Act No. 88 of the 2017 Regular Session, as well as its
consideration of extensive legislation in this 2019 Regular Session on enhancing access to
substance use disorder treatment, the Legislature of Louisiana earnestly strives to address
the dire impacts of drug and alcohol abuse on families and communities of our state; and
WHEREAS, many central Louisiana residents, including legislators and other elected
officials, first learned of the impending closure of four residential substance use disorder
treatment centers in Pineville through local television media in late May of 2019; and
WHEREAS, these local news stories reported that the four privately owned treatment
centers are scheduled to close on June 30, 2019; and
WHEREAS, officials with the Louisiana Department of Health have stated that the
department has known of these impending closures for a period of months; and
Page 1 of 3 HCR NO. 118 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, these officials also indicate that the department's office of behavioral
health is working to ensure that no gap in services will occur for Medicaid enrollees
currently receiving treatment at the four centers which are due to close, and that efforts are
underway to build treatment capacity in the Pineville area back to current levels within three
to six months of the closures; and
WHEREAS, it is extremely important for the state to succeed in the task of
rebuilding residential treatment center capacity in central Louisiana, and for the Louisiana
Department of Health to keep elected officials and the general public in the affected region
apprised of where people may access the substance abuse treatment they need as existing
facilities close and new facilities and services become available.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge the office of behavioral health of the Louisiana Department of Health to take all
measures necessary to ensure adequate access to substance use disorder treatment in central
Louisiana pursuant to the scheduled closure on June 30, 2019, of four residential treatment
facilities in the Pineville area.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does also urge the
Louisiana Department of Health to take all of the following actions in order to ensure
continuity of care for current clients of the Pineville area treatment facilities that are
scheduled to close and access to services for persons seeking treatment:
(1) Assist the treatment facilities that are scheduled to close in remaining open until
new treatment facilities in the Pineville area are licensed and opened.
(2) Provide technical assistance to entities that apply for licensure of residential
substance use disorder treatment facilities in the Pineville area and expedite those entities'
license applications.
(3) Explore means by which existing properties that are underutilized or vacant but
suitable for conversion for use as residential treatment facilities could be used as temporary
treatment facilities until new permanent facilities are licensed and opened.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of behavioral health shall submit two
reports to the House Committee on Health and Welfare and the Senate Committee on Health
and Welfare concerning the efforts called for in this Resolution to provide continuity and
rebuild substance use disorder treatment capacity in the Pineville area.
Page 2 of 3 HCR NO. 118 ENROLLED
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of behavioral health shall submit the
first report required by this Resolution on or before September 30, 2019, and shall submit
the second report required by this Resolution on or before December 31, 2019.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 3 of 3