Treatments

July 7, 2021 | Controlled Substances, Model Laws, Public Health, Treatments

The Model Withdrawal Management Protocol in Correctional Settings Act: (1) requires evidence-based treatment of substance use disorders, including the use of FDA-approved medications; (2) requires correctional settings to establish and implement administrative and clinical protocols when detaining individuals at risk of withdrawal; and (3) provides state legislators, policymakers, and those in the correctional and health care professions with a comprehensive framework to better respond to withdrawal symptoms and related mental health crises of individuals in custody to decrease their mortality while in correctional settings....

April 19, 2021 | Controlled Substances, First Responders, Naloxone, Opioids, Prescription Drugs, Public Health, Public Safety, Reports & Studies

In recent years, some states have enacted Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws to help reduce overdose deaths and respond to opioid overdoses.The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2016 included a provision for GAO to review these laws. This report addresses the following: (1) the efforts ONDCP has taken to collect and disseminate information on Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws, (2) the extent to which states, territories, and D.C. have these laws and the characteristics of them, and (3) what research indicates concerning the effects of Good Samaritan laws.To answer these questions, GAO collected and reviewed ONDCP documents and interviewed agency officials. GAO also reviewed and analyzed selected characteristics of jurisdictions' Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws. Further, GAO conducted a literature review of empirical studies published from 2010 through May 2020 that examined the effects of Good Samaritan laws....

February 23, 2021 | Model Laws, Public Health, Public Safety, Substance Misuse, Treatments

The Model Recovery Residence Certification Act is designed to implement a voluntary certification process for recovery residences in a state. The purpose of certification is to allow for greater oversight of recovery residences and greater protection of recovery home residents. As currently drafted, the Model Act allows either a state agency designated by the state or an approved certifying organization under contract with the state agency to certify recovery residences under the program outlined in the Act. The Act also addresses the zoning issues that have arisen in local jurisdictions around the country....

August 19, 2020 | Electronic Health Records, Fact Sheets, Health Data, Recovery, Substance Misuse, Treatments

In the early 1970’s, as part of its efforts to increase treatment for substance use disorder and reduce the stigma surrounding such treatment, the federal government enacted the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972. That Act included a statutory provision for the confidentiality of patient records, now codified at 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2. This section provides the legal basis for regulations first adopted in 1975 that supplement and expand on the confidentiality provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2. These regulations, known colloquially as “42 C.F.R. Part 2” or just “Part 2”, provide increased protection for the records of patients receiving treatment for substance use disorder. Subsequent amendments over the years to both 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2 and 42 C.F.R. Part 2 served to modernize, clarify, and expand upon the protections granted by the original provisions. This fact sheet provides information about federal laws related to privacy protections for treatment records....