The US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina partnered with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, to provide an informational session on The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Opioid Crisis: Combating Discrimination Against People In Treatment and Recovery from Opioid Use Disorder. The presentation was a component of a four-part series sponsored by MAHEC. The first module, presented by the Civil Rights Coordinators of each US Attorney’s Office, focused on an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its applicability to individuals in treatment to address Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). The presentation also encompassed a review of complaints and outcomes of prior investigations that alleged discrimination against individuals in treatment for OUD or with a history of past drug use.
The presentation aimed to ensure that skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and other medical establishments do not discriminate on the basis of disability, as such establishments are places of public accommodation under the ADA. Persons in need of care and services at skilled nursing facilities, outpatient rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, and medical offices cannot be denied access to these services because they are in treatment for OUD or had a history of past drug use. Under the ADA, no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation. Persons in recovery for substance use disorder are individuals with a disability within the meaning of ADA and its accompanying regulations, and thus are covered by the ADA’s protections.
