Substance Use Disorder
Massachusetts bill broadens who can start substance-use help
Representative Tackey Chan’s bill would add qualified psychologists and licensed independent clinical social workers to the people named in state law. That could help start care sooner when a physician is not available first.
Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing a small but practical change to substance-use law. The bill would let qualified psychologists and licensed independent clinical social workers help start the process now reserved for physicians. For families and patients, that could mean less waiting when time matters.
- Adds psychologists and clinical social workers to the statute
- Could reduce delays when a physician is not immediately available
- Changes who can start help, not the whole substance-use system
- In Massachusetts, getting help for a substance-use crisis could depend less on finding a physician first
- Representative Tackey Chan’s bill would amend Section 35 of chapter 123 of the General Laws by adding qualified psychologists and licensed independent clinical social workers, both licensed under chapter 112, to the list of professionals named in the statute
In Massachusetts, getting help for a substance-use crisis could depend less on finding a physician first. Representative Tackey Chan’s bill would amend Section 35 of chapter 123 of the General Laws by adding qualified psychologists and licensed independent clinical social workers, both licensed under chapter 112, to the list of professionals named in the statute.
That matters because the law’s first step is often the one that decides whether a person gets into the system quickly or waits while families scramble for the right kind of clinician.
A wider first step
The bill does not rewrite substance-use policy from top to bottom. It makes a targeted change to who can participate in the covered function under state law, inserting the new professions after the word “physician.”
For families and patients, that can mean one fewer bottleneck when someone is in crisis. If the nearest available professional is a psychologist or a licensed independent clinical social worker, the path to support would not have to stop there. The law would give those clinicians a clearer role in starting the process.