SB17-074 Summary

• Establishes a Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion Pilot Program in Pueblo County and Routt County to address high rates of opioid addiction through grants to healthcare organizations and practices.

• Authorizes grants to enable nurse practitioners and physician assistants to obtain training required to prescribe buprenorphine and other FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorders, plus funding for behavioral therapy services.

• Creates a MAT Expansion Advisory Board including representatives from the College of Nursing, Colorado Nurses Association, Colorado Academy of Physician Assistants, and medical/public health professionals from participating counties to review grant applications and evaluate program outcomes.

• Appropriates $500,000 annually from the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 to the College of Nursing at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to administer the pilot program.

• Requires annual reporting to the legislature on the number of practitioners trained, patients served, and program outcomes; the entire part is repealed effective June 30, 2020.