AB 424 and AB 425 advance to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Sacramento – April 22nd, Assemblymember Laurie Davies (R-Laguna Niguel) announced that her Substance Use Treatment bills have advanced unanimously through the Assembly Health Committee and will now be heard in Assembly Appropriations to determine cost, prior to a vote on the Assembly floor.
AB 424 is intended to streamline the process of information provided to an individual who files a complaint about a facility to the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). The bill will require notice be provided to the filer by DHCS within 10 days stating it was received and also when review of the complaint has concluded and what the findings were, including whether or not the facility was found to be in violation of State statutes.
“Last year’s state audit found that 22 complaints took more than a year to investigate,” said Davies. “This review process is unacceptable, especially when lives are at stake. Under current law, there is no time frame for completion of a review once the department receives a complaint.”
AB 425 would require all alcohol or other substance use disorder recovery or treatment services programs that provide those services to adopt routine measures with evidence-based practices as the minimum standard. Currently, standards for licensed facilities and standards for certified programs continue to differ needlessly.
“These are common sense measures that go straight to addressing the health, recovery and safety of vulnerable patients,” said Davies. “By raising treatment standards instead of settling for the status quo, we can save lives and increase the likelihood of recovery by requiring already approved, evidence-based standards,” added Davies.
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Assemblywoman Laurie Davies represents the 74th Assembly District, which includes the communities of southern Orange County, including Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano plus the communities of northern San Diego County, including Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Vista and portions of Fallbrook.