FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 16, 2018
ORDINANCE REGARDING REGISTRATION OF ALCOHOL,
NARCOTIC, AND DRUG ABUSE PROGRAMS PRESENTED TO
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHO: Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Tony Rackauckas and the Orange County Board of Supervisors (BOS)
WHAT: The Orange County BOS conducted the first reading of an ordinance today that allows the OCDA and the Health Care Agency to create a registry of alcohol and drug treatment facilities and their affiliated entities in unincorporated Orange County. According to state law, addiction treatment facilities and services must register with county public agencies. Criminal activity in the addiction treatment industry has a chilling effect on those in need of substance abuse services from getting assistance. The registration process proposed in this ordinance is the first step in developing a framework to protect the consumers.
The registration ordinance will allow Orange County Health Care Agency and the District Attorney’s Office to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate businesses in the addiction treatment industry to assess all legal actions both civil and criminal. As an industry driven by high insurance payouts and a growing population of those suffering from addiction in Orange County, addiction treatment facilities have become a breeding ground for criminals seeking to exploit vulnerable patients. Addiction treatment facilities and services are the primary drivers in the growth of sober living homes.
“I would like to thank Supervisors Lisa Bartlett and Michelle Steel in their thoughtful leadership in our joined efforts to solve abuse of addicts by bad actors in the treatment industry. They came to the OCDA and we are proud to take this step together. I would also like to thank Chairman Do in assisting his colleagues to pass this important ordinance,” stated District Attorney Tony Rackauckas.
This ordinance will be on the agenda for adoption on Oct. 30, 2018. To see this item in the BOS agenda, please click here.
WHEN: Today, Oct. 16, 2018
WHERE: Board Hearing Room, First Floor, 333 W. Santa Ana Blvd., 10 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, California