Search

Numerous county courts under Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by limiting or denying access to medications for opioid use disorder (OUD), the U.S. Department of Justice concluded earlier this month. Advocates for individuals under justice supervision consider this investigation highly significant because it appears to mark the first time federal officials have concluded that a state's entire court system stands in violation of the ADA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from 2018 shows that 15% of the time, post‐acute medical care facilities in Massachusetts acknowledged that their denial of care to a patient was because of an opioid use disorder (OUD), a practice that violates anti‐discrimination laws. Authors of a published review of referrals from Boston Medical Center cite multiple reasons why the actual percentage of post‐acute care facilities that are out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is likely much higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington has filed a lawsuit in June 2018 against the policy of the Whatcom County, Washington for denying inmates access to buprenorphine and methadone but giving medications for other illnesses. Topics mentioned include the Americans with Disabilities Act, the plan of the Sheriff's Office to do a regimen of withdrawal with buprenorphine for inmates, and lack of treatment options for opioid use disorder in the justice system.