ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 71
BY REPRESENTATIVE DUSTIN MILLER
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to issue guidance or regulations by
December 31, 2020, to allow the establishment of new opioid treatment programs.
WHEREAS, a more robust comprehensive treatment system is needed, to help
individuals with opioid use disorder get the treatment they need through opioid treatment
programs; and
WHEREAS, the number of opioid-related deaths in Louisiana was one hundred and
fifty percent higher in 2017 than in 2012; and
WHEREAS, in Fiscal Year 2018, Louisianans spent seven thousand eight hundred
eighty-six days in emergency departments for incidents related to opioids, with related
Medicaid costs exceeding one million eight hundred thousand dollars; and
WHEREAS, in Fiscal Year 2018, Louisiana saw nine thousand eight hundred thirty-
four hospital admissions related to opioids, with related Medicaid costs exceeding thirty-nine
million seven hundred thousand dollars; and
WHEREAS, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) has recognized that medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorder, in
combination with counseling and behavior therapies, can successfully treat opioid use
disorder and help sustain recovery; and
WHEREAS, SAMHSA has developed guidelines for opioid treatment programs to
provide medication-assisted treatment, as well as a range of other treatments; and
WHEREAS, a panel of experts convened to study the opioid epidemic in Louisiana
recommended in December 2018 that Louisiana undertake the following steps, among
others, to address opioid addiction in Louisiana:
(1) Expand access to evidenced-based treatment for opioid addiction.
(2) Establish a statewide quality improvement system for addiction treatment.
(3) Address addiction as a chronic illness.
(4) Expand the use of peer recovery specialists for those with opioid use disorder.
Page 1 of 2 HCR NO. 71 ENROLLED
(5) Invest in models of care to support women and families; and
WHEREAS, individuals in rural parishes do not have adequate access to medication-
assisted treatment for substance use disorder.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to issue guidance or regulations to
allow the establishment of new opioid treatment programs.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in considering the expansion of new opioid
treatment programs, the Louisiana Department of Health shall consider all of the following:
(1) Developing an application process for new opioid treatment programs that may
prioritize the expansion of organizations already operating opioid treatment programs in the
state and in good standing with the office of behavioral health, and the integration of new
sites with federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, and health systems.
(2) Providing new opioid treatment programs that offer all three Food and Drug
Administration-approved medications for opioid use disorder, and deliver services to
patients covered under the Medicaid program.
(3) Considering for new opioid treatment programs rural parishes with higher rates
of overdose deaths.
(4) Consider entering opioid treatment programs into partnerships with providers
offering physical health services, such as federally qualified health centers, rural health
clinics, or health systems, either by direct integration with these facilities, co-location or
providing physical health services within the opioid treatment program. These partnerships
should prioritize the screening and treatment of comorbid conditions, such as Hepatitis C and
HIV.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the new guidance or regulations for opioid
treatment programs be issued by the Louisiana Department of Health by December 31, 2020.
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 2 of 2