Treatment, Recovery & Prevention
Kentucky Today: First-ever Fentanyl Awareness Day observed as synthetic opioids dominate U.S. overdose deaths | News | kentuckytoday.com
Hazard Hearld: Isaiah House holds ‘Wounds to Wisdom’ recovery event | News | hazard-herald.com
Times Tribune: Appalachian Gathering for Recovery Solutions to be hosted Thursday at Union College | Local News | thetimestribune.com
Wall Street Journal: Drug-Overdose Deaths Reached a Record in 2021, Fueled by Fentanyl – WSJ
New York Times: Overdose Deaths Continue Rising, With Fentanyl and Meth Key Culprits – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Roll Call: End of COVID-19 emergency endangers substance use treatment – Roll Call
Public Policy & Legislation
Federal Legislation
- S.2796 – Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act
- H.R.2379 – State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act of 2021
- H.R.4897 – Support Recovery from Addiction Act of 2021
- H.R.7255 – Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Reauthorization Act
- H.R.7238 – Timely Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Act
- H.R.7235 – Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant Act of 2022
Kentucky Legislation
*These bills passed the Kentucky General Assembly and were signed into law*
- Senate Bill 90 (establishes behavioral health dismissal pilot program)
- Senate Bill 10 (addressing statewide nursing shortage)
- House Bill 215 (increases the penalty for importing or trafficking carfentanil, fentanyl, or fentanyl derivatives)
- House Bill 127 (expands outpatient treatment program under Tim’s Law for Kentuckians with severe mental illness)
- Senate Bill 178 (certification for clinical supervisors of alcohol and drug counselors)
- House Bill 349 (enforces regions for Community Mental Health Centers)
- House Bill 362 (strengthens Casey’s Law)
- Senate Bill 102 (requires local superintendents to report information on school-based mental health services providers in the district to the Kentucky Department of Education)
- House Bill 335 (requires Governor to appoint certain members of the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council and the Advisory Council for Recovery Ready Communities from lists of three names provided by various entities)
- House Joint Resolution 28 (directs Department for Medicaid Services to request guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Medicaid coverage on prescription digital therapeutics in Kentucky)
- Senate Bill 56 (amends KRS 15.291, 217.177, and 217.186 to define “opioid antagonist” as naloxone or any United States Food and Drug Administration-approved opioid antagonist designed to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose; replace references to naloxone with opioid agonist)
- Senate Joint Resolution 72 (directs the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to apply for a Medicaid waiver for individuals with severe mental illness)
- House Bill 79 (increases mental health resources for 911 dispatchers)
- House Bill 269 (adds a diagnosis of serious mental illness to the disabilities which prevent execution for persons convicted of capital offenses)
- Senate Bill 97 (requires law enforcement to request a blood, breath, or urine test from a caregiver suspected of being under the influence at the time of a child fatality or near fatality)
- House Bill 525 (requires Medicaid reimbursement for certain services provided by certified community health workers)
- House Bill 44 (mental health days for students)
- House Concurrent Resolution 40 (urges Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to include Kentucky’s Veterans Affairs Medical Centers into the Center for Compassionate Innovation, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program enabling the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for veterans with a traumatic brain injury or PTSD)
- House Bill 458 (extends the term of the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council to July 1, 2030)
- Senate Bill 64 (authorizes any public agency to establish a peer support counseling program)
- · House Joint Resolution 5 (increases mental health workforce)
Upcoming Events
Oxford House Kentucky State Retreat – May 27-30, 2022 – Cumberland Falls State Resort
Kentucky Chamber Recovery in the Workplace Conference – June 21, 2022 – Lexington, KY
Stigma Summit 2022 – June 8, 2022 – Virtual
2022 NARR Best Practices Summit – October 24-26, 2022 – Richmond, VA