April 20, 2010

Re: New Futures’ Support of HB 410 (relative to the licensing of alcohol and drug counselors)

Dear Senator Cilley and Honorable Members of the Committee,

On behalf of New Futures, a nonprofit, non-partisan advocacy organization working to reduce underage alcohol problems and increase access to substance use disorder treatment, I write in strong support for HB 410.  HB 410 will improve access to quality treatment for individuals struggling with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders by amending RSA 330-C to redefine the scope of practice for Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (MLADCs) to include the treatment of co-occurring disorders within the context of providing treatment for substance use disorders.  

HB 410 culminates three years of work by both the House and Senate to improve access to quality substance use disorder treatment services through improvements to the licensing process for alcohol and drug counselors.  HB 410 has the unanimous support of the House Executive Departments & Administration Committee and passed the House by a voice vote.  We are very grateful to the General Court for their diligent work over the last several years on these important treatment and regulatory issues.

New Futures supports HB 410 because:

• The problem that HB 410 was introduced to address – the need to improve access to integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders – is very real.   
• The improvements made to HB 410 in the House ensure the quality of co-occurring treatment services provided by MLADCs, by clarifying and strengthening the educational and experiential requirements for an MLADC license.
• HB 410 removes barriers to access quality integrated treatment by expanding the number of qualified professionals able to provide such treatment and reducing the likelihood that individuals will have to see two different providers to obtain treatment for co-occurring disorders. 
• HB 410 is a forward looking bill that recognizes the changes both in our understanding of addiction and mental illness and in the educational and clinical qualifications of individuals who are licensed by the Board of Licensing of Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors (“LADC Board”) and who hold masters’ degrees. 
  • Addiction is a chronic, relapsing, and treatable brain disorder;
  • Research clearly demonstrates the prevalence of co-occurring disorders and the need for additional treatment services.
  • Research supports integrated treatment as the most effective and efficient way to address the needs of those suffering from co-occurring disorders.
  • A significant number of individuals licensed by the LADC Board have masters’ degrees and substantial clinical experience. 
• HB 410 does not restrict, limit, or otherwise affect the ability of any individual licensed by the Boards of Medicine, Nursing, or Mental Health Practice to provide co-occurring disorder treatment.  HB 410 makes no changes to any other professional licensing statutes.  Professionals providing co-occurring disorder treatment under other licensing statutes are unaffected by HB 410.
• As the result of the improvements to the regulatory structure of RSA 330-C made by HB 1633 in 2008 and the support of the Bureau of  Drug and Alcohol Services for training on co-occurring disorders, the infrastructure presently exists to ensure effective oversight and regulation of MLADCs who provide treatment for co-occurring disorders. 

Thank you for your attention to this letter.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions about HB 410 or related issues.  I can be reached at tlucas@new-futures.org or by phone at 225-9540 (W) or 770-8620 (C). 

Sincerely,