Posted on April 21, 2022
On Tuesday night, State Representative Kathleen McCarty (R-38) joined her colleagues in the House to unanimously pass legislation she cosponsored to implement a pilot Peer Navigator program to address the growing and deadly opioid epidemic in our state.
As amended by LCO 4922, HB 5430 – AN ACT CONCERNING OPIOIDS – changes the date of implementation of last year’s peer navigator program to January 1, 2023, to allow the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to establish such a program “in urban, suburban and rural communities to serve persons with opioid use disorder in such communities.” Under the bill, the chosen communities will set up two-person teams to increase engagement between healthcare, social services and treatment providers and persons with opioid use disorder. Those teams will work to “address the emerging local conditions that affect such social determinants of health and increase the capacity of the community to support such persons by identifying and addressing systemic barriers to treatment services, health care, social services and social support of such persons.”
Last session, the legislature passed a similar measure proposed by Rep. McCarty (Public Act 21-113) to duplicate the successful New London Cares program in five areas of the state, but those positions were never properly funded. The New London Cares program has been assisting those battling addiction throughout the region for several years by sending teams into the community to address people with health care and social needs disorders. Peer navigators also receive updated training on non-coercive and non-stigmatizing methods for engaging people with these disorders.
“Once again, I am encouraged by the incredible bipartisan support of this important program and I am hopeful that this time it will be properly implemented on the state level,” Rep. McCarty said. “For years, my colleagues and I have been working to address this deadly epidemic and while each year we make strides toward ending this awful disease placing peer navigators in our communities will absolutely save lives.”
Rep. McCarty said she was grateful for the support and guidance she received from her colleagues Jeanne Milstein and Kelly Thompson in New London when working to draft this legislation.
The bill will now be placed on the State Senate calendar and awaits action.