The California Legislature passed a bill on Monday that could help older adults get more access to addiction treatment.
California, like much of the country, has a shortage of behavioral health care facilities and workers. It’s also contending with a surge of fentanyl use and a growing population of older adults in need of addiction care.
A recent study from the National Institutes of Health showed that Opioid Use Disorder more than tripled among older adults from 2013-2018 nationwide.
Fremont State Senator Aisha Wahab sponsored a bill to address that.
“Our fastest growing substance abuse victims tend to be older Californians,” Wahab said back in May. “And as much as possible, we need to provide the resources that they need to get the treatment they need.”
One solution to that is to expand where they can go for help.
Skilled Nursing Facilities provide intensive care to patients with high needs, like someone just out of the hospital for surgery or a person dealing with a chronic illness. Some of those facilities offer addiction treatment already, but the process for them to get licensed to do it is complicated.
The bill would streamline that process in order to encourage more facilities to offer this treatment. It passed both the Assembly and Senate, and is now headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
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