Substance use disorder treatment: peer navigators.

Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to license and regulate substance use disorder programs and facilities, as specified, and provides various programs for education about, and treatment of, substance use disorders. This bill would require the department to either establish a pilot program or expand an existing pilot program for purposes of measuring the efficacy and cost avoidance of utilizing trained substance use disorder peer navigators and behavioral health peer navigators in the emergency department of an acute care hospital, as described, if Funds for this purpose are appropriated in the annual Budget Act. The bill would provide that an acute care hospital may be eligible to receive funding under the pilot program to fund peer navigator positions. This bill would require the department to investigate and apply for federal funding opportunities and non-General Fund sources to support the pilot program, and to design an evaluation of, and subsequently evaluate, the pilot program, as specified.