From 2018-2021, SSG partnered with Pew on policy changes to LDH’s substance use disorder treatment program. The work focused on increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) as a key strategy to combat the opioid crisis. In Louisiana, we pursued and secured critical policy changes that required residential treatment programs to offer MOUD as part of their licensure. Two major laws were passed under this effort:

The first, Act 414, enacted Aug. 1, 2019, expanded the scope of practice for prescribing buprenorphine to advanced practice nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The second, Act 425, made it a requirement for residential facilities to provide on-site access to at least one Food and Drug Administration-approved partial opioid agonist (buprenorphine) and one antagonist (naltrexone) as a condition of licensure.

As a result of the team’s efforts, MOUD use more than tripled from 2018 to 2021 among Louisiana Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with OUD. The project clearly illustrated how dedicated research & determined advocacy can result in impactful policy that changes lives and health outcomes.