Senate advances bill to certify and expand recovery residences, sets Oct. 15 health-department report
March 19, 2024 | SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont
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The Vermont Senate advanced S186, a bill directing the Department of Health to develop a recommended certification program for recovery residences and recovery centers, and to report back to the Legislature by Oct. 15, 2024.
The sponsor for the committee on health and welfare said the bill responds to a shortage of recovery-residence capacity and the need to integrate housing-based supports with medical treatment. "Recovery is critical to a life sustaining chronic illness of addiction," the presenter said, and described the hub-and-spoke model that provides medically assisted treatment followed by social-support services in recovery residences.
On the floor the presenter cited numeric estimates used by the committee: "52,000 Vermonters are alcohol dependent. That's 4th highest in the nation," and noted that many people who need recovery housing are Medicaid eligible. The sponsor said Vermont currently has roughly 212 beds in recovery residences and only two nationally certified residences, both located in Chittenden County, underscoring geographic gaps in capacity.
Key provisions in S186 require the Department of Health to consult state agencies and community partners, identify certification levels with corresponding staffing and administrative requirements, craft grievance and review processes, recommend certification fees and propose data and outcome measures the state can use to evaluate recovery residences. The committee also discussed funding options and alternatives to placing the full burden on the state, including possible Medicaid-related supports.
The bill recognizes existing work by national partners: a SAMHSA-funded technical-assistance grant to the Fletcher Group would provide up to $1,000,000 in resources to support states as they design certification frameworks and outcomes measurement. The presenter told the Senate the committee had spent months reviewing outcomes measures and that some national metrics may need adaptation for Vermont.
The Appropriations Committee extracted appropriations items for later consideration, and the Senate adopted the committee's report. The presiding officer announced that third reading of S186 was ordered.
The bill sets a deadline for the Department of Health to submit a written recommendation by Oct. 15, 2024, and the committee's report instructs future work on data systems, alternative payment models, and funding sustainability to ensure certified residences can operate without uncompensated financial burdens.
The Senate adopted the health- and-welfare committee report and ordered third reading of S186; no final passage vote occurred during the session.
The sponsor for the committee on health and welfare said the bill responds to a shortage of recovery-residence capacity and the need to integrate housing-based supports with medical treatment. "Recovery is critical to a life sustaining chronic illness of addiction," the presenter said, and described the hub-and-spoke model that provides medically assisted treatment followed by social-support services in recovery residences.
On the floor the presenter cited numeric estimates used by the committee: "52,000 Vermonters are alcohol dependent. That's 4th highest in the nation," and noted that many people who need recovery housing are Medicaid eligible. The sponsor said Vermont currently has roughly 212 beds in recovery residences and only two nationally certified residences, both located in Chittenden County, underscoring geographic gaps in capacity.
Key provisions in S186 require the Department of Health to consult state agencies and community partners, identify certification levels with corresponding staffing and administrative requirements, craft grievance and review processes, recommend certification fees and propose data and outcome measures the state can use to evaluate recovery residences. The committee also discussed funding options and alternatives to placing the full burden on the state, including possible Medicaid-related supports.
The bill recognizes existing work by national partners: a SAMHSA-funded technical-assistance grant to the Fletcher Group would provide up to $1,000,000 in resources to support states as they design certification frameworks and outcomes measurement. The presenter told the Senate the committee had spent months reviewing outcomes measures and that some national metrics may need adaptation for Vermont.
The Appropriations Committee extracted appropriations items for later consideration, and the Senate adopted the committee's report. The presiding officer announced that third reading of S186 was ordered.
The bill sets a deadline for the Department of Health to submit a written recommendation by Oct. 15, 2024, and the committee's report instructs future work on data systems, alternative payment models, and funding sustainability to ensure certified residences can operate without uncompensated financial burdens.
The Senate adopted the health- and-welfare committee report and ordered third reading of S186; no final passage vote occurred during the session.
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