SLS 19RS-1182 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 78
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
HEALTH SERVICES. Requests the Louisiana State Board of Nursing and the Louisiana
State Board of Medical Examiners to report on the number of advanced practice registered
nurses and the number of physician assistants that provide medication-assisted treatment
(MAT) in Louisiana.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana State Board of Nursing and the Louisiana State Board of
3 Medical Examiners to report on the number of advanced practice registered nurses
4 and the number of physician assistants that provide medication-assisted treatment
5 (MAT) in Louisiana.
6 WHEREAS, on July 22, 2016, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act
7 (CARA) was enacted as Public Law 114-198, in an effort to authorize additional treatment
8 options to battle the opioid crisis; and
9 WHEREAS, one of CARA's important provisions expanded authority to advanced
10 practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) to provide
11 medication-assisted treatment (MAT), which includes the provision of substance abuse
12 treatment services and overdose reversal medications and extending the privilege of
13 prescribing buprenorphine under certain regulatory restrictions; and
14 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance
15 Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, has established eligibility for APRNs and
16 PAs to participate in MAT, including twenty-four hours of approved initial training and
17 submission of a United States Drug Enforcement Administration waiver application; and
18 WHEREAS, Louisiana has been availing itself of every possible resource to battle
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SLS 19RS-1182 ORIGINAL
1 the opioid crisis, including provision of MAT services allowed pursuant to federal law; and
2 WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Board of Nursing regulates APRNs and the
3 Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners regulates PAs; and
4 WHEREAS, monitoring our efforts in battling the opioid crisis will better equip the
5 regulatory bodies and the Louisiana Department of Health in overall opioid crisis
6 management.
7 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
8 request the Louisiana State Board of Nursing and the Louisiana State Board of Medical
9 Examiners to report on the number of advanced practice registered nurses and the number
10 of physician assistants that provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in Louisiana.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that annually, beginning on February 1, 2020, the
12 Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners and the Louisiana State Board of Nursing shall
13 issue a written report to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the
14 chairman of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, and to the secretary of the
15 Louisiana Department of Health, to include the number of APRNs and PAs who were
16 certified to provide MAT services for the prior calendar year.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that to the extent the information is reasonably
18 obtainable, the two boards shall also report the number of APRNs and PAs certified to
19 provide MAT services who are presently treating patients for opioid addiction.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
21 executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, the executive director of the
22 Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, and the secretary of the Louisiana Department
23 of Health.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Christine Arbo Peck.
DIGEST
SCR 78 Original 2019 Regular Session Boudreaux
Requests the La. State Board of Nursing and the La. State Board of Medical Examiners to
submit an annual report, beginning February 1, 2020, on the number of APRNs and PAs that
are certified to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in Louisiana.
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