An Act concerning substance abuse treatment facilities and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. Each licensed residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility in the State shall provide the county health department of the county in which the facility is located with the following information on an estimated average basis:

(1) the total capacity of the facility to provide inpatient or outpatient services;

(2) the number of expected openings available, on an estimated daily basis, at the facility for a person seeking services from the facility on an inpatient or outpatient basis, as applicable; and

(3) the average waiting time for an opening for a person to receive services from the facility on an inpatient or outpatient basis, as applicable.

Each licensed residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility shall update the information provided pursuant to this subsection at least annually, and may update information more frequently at its discretion.

b. Upon receipt of the information provided pursuant to subsection a. of this section, each county health department shall:

(1) display and maintain the information on its Internet website in a manner that provides a listing of such residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility services, including the address and telephone number for each facility, as well as the availability of services in the county for a person seeking services from a licensed residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility; and

(2) share the information with the Department of Human Services, which shall, upon receipt, also display and maintain the information on its website, arranged by county.

2. The Commissioner of Human Services, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act.

3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment, but the Commissioner of Human Services may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance thereof as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill requires each licensed residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility in the State to provide the county health department of the county in which the facility is located with certain information about the availability of services at the facility, on an estimated average basis.

Under the provisions of the bill, the county health department is to display and maintain the information on its Internet website, and share the information with the Department of Human Services (DHS), which would also display and maintain the information on its website, arranged by county.

The displayed information would provide: the total capacity of a licensed residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility to provide inpatient or outpatient services; the number of expected openings available, on an estimated daily basis, for a person seeking services from the facility on an inpatient or outpatient basis; and the average waiting time for an opening for a person to receive services from the facility on an inpatient or outpatient basis.

Each facility is required to update the information provided at least annually, and may update information more frequently at its discretion.

The displayed information would include the address and telephone number for each facility, as well as the availability of services, by county, from a licensed residential or outpatient substance abuse treatment facility, in order to provide access to information that would facilitate referrals of persons to services and transfers from facilities when necessary.