Long before, experts have regarded opioid as drugs that acts on the nervous system to relive pain. In Atlanta, Georgia has recently become the opioid treatment program capital of the South as it was found to have loose regulations which have led to an emergence of a number of new clinics opening around the state, but senators are said to have been working to tamp down the booming business with a licensure program that will allegedly require new clinics to demonstrate a need in the community first before being allowed to open. That being said, a significant number of experts believe that narcotic treatment programs in Georgia may be facing vast new oversight.
Opioid Treatment Program
In one of his statements reported by News OK, Sen. Jeff Mullis, R- Chickamauga, who happens to be the sponsor of the legislation, said that the legislators want to make sure that they have quality treatment facilities in all of Georgia and help run off the riffraff. Last Thursday, Georgia's senate has voted 50-2 to pass Senate Bill 85, which lays out the new regulations over 12 pages. It was found that the bill specifically applies to narcotic treatment programs that use drugs such as methadone to treat opioid addicts.
As of the press time, legislators have highly emphasized that the bill will move to the House for further consideration. According to reports revealed by News Channel 9, in the past ten years, Georgia has nearly doubled the number of its clinics to 71, while its neighbor, Tennessee, was found to not had any expansion and remains at only 12 locations statewide. Additionally, the senators said that the bill will apparently prioritize treatment for pregnant women and reportedly limit the number of clinics that can open up in regions around the state.
Future Plans For Opioid Clinics
Meanwhile, vice president of Opioid Treatment Providers of Georgia and president of Alliance Recovery Centers based in Atlanta, Brook Etherington supports the bill and has claimed that a more rigorous screening process for new programs is good, especially for providers coming into the state.Ultimately, it was found that many of the surrounding states are utilizing a licensing process known as Certificate of Need to impose a de facto moratorium on new programs opening up.
