Nevada is a state in desperate need of more licensed addiction treatment centers. While all states have been dealt a heavy blow with the opioid epidemic, Nevada continues to sustain overdose death rate rises month-over-month, sometimes even into the triple digits.
According to Nevada’s State Opioid Response website, which compiles extraordinary up-to-date data on the state’s addiction issues, Nevada can comfortably suspect that over 700 deaths in the state can be attributed to opioid overdose in December 2021 alone.
In Nevada, not all demographics are suffering the effects of SUD equally. While it’s true that most drug-related emergency room visits are made by patients who describe themselves as white, male and between the ages of 25 and 34, one would expect that in a state with a majority white population. However, in Nevada, it’s Black, non-Hispanic males who are statistically overrepresented in the overdose and emergency room data. This same population struggles to find culturally responsive care in a state with few treatment centers designed to serve African Americans.
In terms of location, Lander, Nye and Pershing counties have seen the highest overdose death rates in recent years. Rising rates of fentanyl use across the state can be blamed for much of the spike we’re seeing in overdose deaths in Nevada. Anyone looking to open an addiction treatment center in Nevada should note the hot spots for overdose activity as well as the lack of treatment options in rural and underserved areas.
Now that we’ve covered a little of the landscape of the drug and alcohol problem in Nevada, let’s look at what is required of addiction treatment centers looking to open in the Silver State.
Most Addiction Treatment Centers in Nevada Must Get Licensed With the State
In Nevada, most addiction treatment centers are considered to be a type of “facility for the dependent,” but not a type of “medical facility,” facility, legally speaking. Still, even as a “facility for the dependent,” addiction treatment centers in Nevada must get licensed in order to deliver treatment in the state.
NRS 449.030 License required to operate or maintain medical facility or facility for the dependent. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 449.03013, 449.03015 and 449.03017, no person, state or local government or agency thereof may operate or maintain in this State any medical facility or facility for the dependent without first obtaining a license therefor as provided in NRS 449.029 to 449.2428, inclusive.
The only types of organizations that are exempt from this requirement are religious organizations who “depend solely upon spiritual means through prayer for healing” and foster homes.
All Addiction Treatment Center Licensing Applications in Nevada Must be Completed Online
Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services Health Facilities Licensing website may look like a relic from the 1990’s, but the agency’s workflows are pretty modern. Like many states, Nevada has migrated its application process online. Nevada’s Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance uses an online licensing and certification system for addiction treatment centers and all other licensed health organizations in the state. You can register as a user of the CLICS system here.
In Nevada, Addiction Treatment Centers are Called ADAs or Alcohol and Drug Treatment Facilities
In Nevada, addiction treatment centers are referred to as “Alcohol and Drug Treatment Facilities” or ADAs for short. It’s helpful to know each state’s lingo when it comes to researching and understanding individual state requirements for treatment center licensing because every state has a different way of categorizing and referring to addiction treatment centers. There is no standardized language used throughout the nation to refer to addiction treatment providers, so this can sometimes make it confusing to interface with a state with an idiosyncratic nickname for treatment centers.
Nevada Provides Addiction Treatment Centers With a Handy Checklist for Pursuing Licensing
Nevada provides addiction treatment centers looking to get licensed in the state with a handy application documents checklist. This checklist includes legal citations backing up each requirement, which can be helpful for reference if you need more clarification on any given line item.
In Nevada, required documents include:
Certification of program by SAPTA (Substance Abuse Prevention Treatment Agency)
Notarized application form
Proof of zoning approval from city and/or county, as necessary
Proof of insurance
Lease agreement (if leasing your physical space)
Business structure information: partnership agreement, articles of incorporation and/or governing body bylaws, as applicable
3 years of business history and/or resumes and three letters of reference for each of your corporate officers
Financial status information and/or statement
Resume and 3 letters of reference for your administrator
Certificate of passed State Fire Marshall inspection
Criminal background checks for all relevant parties
Floor plan with dimensions
Medical labs attestation
Plan review application on file (if new construction)
Permit for kitchen
8” x 11” photograph of existing facility and/or estimated date of completed construction for new buildings
This is an extraordinary number of supporting documents for addiction treatment center licensing. While none of these individual requirements is unique to Nevada - excepting perhaps the highly specific 8” x 11” photograph size - it is unusual to require all of these pieces of information in a single state licensing application. The vast majority of states do not require quite so many pieces of information.
In Nevada, Your Addiction Treatment Center’s Licensing Application Will Not Begin Processing Until You Provide All Required Documentation
Many states allow you to submit your initial application without all the supporting documents you’ll eventually need to complete your application. This allows you to build a relationship with the certifying and/or licensing government agency and also get a feel for the viability of your application before you commit too many resources to completing the entire process.
Nevada is not one of those states. In Nevada, you must submit your application with every single piece of required documentation before the state will even look at your file. If you submit incomplete applications, your application will be returned to you. This makes Nevada one of the more difficult states to work with in terms of addiction treatment licensing.
The Fees to Get Your Addiction Treatment Center Licensed in Nevada Are Very High
In Nevada, every addiction treatment center seeking state licensing must pony up $782 plus a per-bed fee of $190. For example, if your residential facility will house 20 beds, Your initial addiction treatment center licensing application fee will be $4,582. While there are other states with fees as steep as (or, occasionally, steeper than) these, Nevada’s fees are definitely on the higher side for addiction treatment center licensing in the United States.
Nevada is a Tough State to Open an Addiction Treatment Center. Let Us Help.
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