Coordinating how Michigan provides alcohol- and drug-abuse counseling throughout the state is now possible thanks to a bill introduced by State Rep. Matt Lori.
Public Act 249 requires the Michigan Department of Community Health to establish and maintain credentialing standards for the statewide substance use disorder service systems.
The bill is a direct result of recommendations made by the Mental Health and Wellness Commission, to which Lori was appointed in December 2012. Lori is chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Community Health.
The commission found that coordination of care is vital to wellness, recovery and management of chronic illness, but a lack of statewide standards made that synchronization difficult to attain, Lori said.