| R 351 |
| 2015 -- S 0095 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/04/2015 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, AND HOSPITALS CREATE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STANDARDS AND FINANCING OF RECOVERY HOUSING FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS FOR RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT |
| Introduced By: Senators Lynch, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, Walaska, and Miller |
| Date Introduced: January 22, 2015 |
| WHEREAS, Many Rhode Islanders strive on a daily basis to overcome substance use |
| disorders. Thanks to a cadre of caring professionals in the Ocean State and to an outstanding |
| array of organizations whose missions focus on prevention and treatment, many of those in |
| recovery have access to programs that support their progress; and |
| WHEREAS, Even as they participate in treatment programs, some Rhode Islanders in |
| recovery lack a safe place to live, which can limit their improvement. For these individuals, |
| community-based recovery housing provides the stability they need to move forward. Recovery |
| houses, which combine shelter with access to proven programs, are an integral part of a |
| continuum of services. In Rhode Island, a network of recovery houses provides constructive, |
| substance free living environments that promote positive outcomes for their residents; and |
| WHEREAS, Recovery houses in Rhode Island operate with considerable autonomy and |
| often without established standards or financing mechanisms, which may lead to differences in |
| quality that, in turn, impact the recovery process. The lack of established standards may also be a |
| source of concern to those communities that host recovery houses. Individuals in recovery, as |
| well as Rhode Island’s municipalities and neighborhoods, would benefit from the development of |
| a set of state standards and recommendations for financing for recovery housing facilities and |
| programs for residential substance use treatment; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
| hereby respectfully requests that the Director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, |
| Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals (BHDDH) creates recommendations for a set of |
| standards and options for financing of recovery housing facilities and programs for residential |
| substance use treatment, to be used by such facilities in Rhode Island; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate respectfully requests the Director of BHDDH to submit a |
| report to the Senate President and to the Chairs of the Senate Health and Human Services and |
| Finance Committees on or before January 7, 2016, that describes recommendations for the |
| standards and for the financing of recovery housing facilities and programs for residential |
| substance use treatment; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Director of the Department of Behavioral |
| Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, and the Secretary of the Executive Office |
| of Health and Human Services. |
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| LC000688/SUB A |
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