Legislation in Wisconsin Improves Access to Addiction Meds, Recovery Coaches, and More

Great news in Wisconsin: Several bills included in the Heroin, Opiate, Prevention, and Education (HOPE) Agenda have passed in the state’s Senate. Shatterproof has been a key advocate for the HOPE agenda, which is a bipartisan effort to reverse the state’s opioid crisis and save lives.

Here are all the bills that passed:

• AB645: Increases access to naloxone and addiction medications in prisons and jails.
• AB647: Extends through April 2025 the law that states a doctor has to review the state’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) before they issue a prescription.
• AB646: Makes the state of Wisconsin more recovery-friendly by requiring the Department of Health Services to create a registry of approved recovery residences, and by protecting state employees from disciplinary action when they take addiction medications to support their recovery
• AB650: Establishes a “warm hand-off” process following an overdose, including reimbursement for peer recovery coaches and coordination and continuation of care

All of this legislation is now just a signature from Governor Evers away from becoming law in Wisconsin.