In the wake of the opioid crisis, Alabama has emerged as one of the most severely impacted states in the nation. Sadly, Alabama’s exceedingly high demand for addiction treatment services means that addiction treatment providers would do well to consider making Alabama a potential home for their business. 

How bad is Alabama’s substance abuse problem? The numbers aren’t pretty. 

Alabama’s overdose death rate is 31.4% higher than the national average, which itself is a record level. The state has seen a 50% increase in overdose deaths in the last six years. Alabama was littered with pill mills and saw the highest rate of opioid prescription in the country at the height of the opioid overprescription crisis, with 143.8 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents in 2012.  While rates of extreme overprescription have continued to drop in the state, overdose deaths continue to rise. Alabama saw a 27% increase in overdose deaths from 2019, with 980 citizens passing away from accidental overdose in 2020. 

Alabama runs a fairly large state-funded addiction treatment operation, partnering with many community-based organizations to provide sliding-scale and/or no-cost treatment to low income patients. However, all addiction treatment providers in the state must get certified by the state to provide services, regardless of whether or not they accept state funding.  

Today, let’s look at what it takes to open a substance abuse or addiction treatment center in Alabama. 

All Addiction Treatment Providers in Alabama Must Obtain Certification to Practice Substance Abuse Treatment in the State

Alabama’s Office of Certification is responsible for administering Alabama’s certification program for addiction treatment centers. 

Certification has been in the law in Alabama since 1975. According to 580-3-23.02 in Alabama’s State Code:

It is under this statutory authority that the Department of Mental Health requires compliance with these standards through these certification regulations by entities that hold themselves out as providers of services to persons with mental illness, developmental disabled, and/or substance abuse in the State of Alabama.

The only addiction treatment centers that do not have to seek certification in Alabama are: 

• General or psychiatric hospitals 

• Educational institutions 

• Private practice clinicians 

Everyone else must get certified in order to provide addiction treatment services in Alabama. 

It Costs $1500 to Apply for Addiction Treatment Center Licensing or Certification in Alabama 

According to the MHSAS Office of Certification Potential Provider Orientation, Alabama requires a $1500 “non-refundable application fee” from new providers seeking certification in the state. 

Unlike most states, Alabama does NOT want you to send a check in along with your completed application. Instead, the state asks that you submit your application and then wait to receive a letter from the state requesting that you send a cashier’s check to the Office of Certification Administration. They emphatically do not want you to submit your check until after you receive this letter. This is one of several unusual features of Alabama's addiction treatment center licensing process.  

Alabama Has Very Specific Requirements for Your Addiction Treatment Center’s Executive Director and your Clinical Director in Their Certification Guidelines

Your addiction treatment center’s Executive Director must have either: 

• A Master’s degree in Public Health, Business Administration, Public Administration, Psychology, Counseling, Social Work or “related field” plus at least 5 years management experience in mental health or addiction treatment 

Or 

• A Bachelor’s degree in one of those fields plus at least 10 years of experience in the field

Likewise, your Clinical Director must have: 

• A Master’s in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or Psychiatric Nursing plus 3 years of experience in the field and hold a valid license or certification in substance abuse counseling.

Finally, if your organization is projected to have an annual budget exceeding $750,000, you must retain a full-time Business Manager or CFO with specific qualifications, as well. 

Alabama’s Application Requirements for Getting Addiction Treatment Centers Certified Are Pretty Standard, With a Few Quirks

After you’ve reviewed the list of existing certified substance abuse providers in Alabama and determined that your organization will complement the services already on offer in the state, you’ll want to prepare your application for certification. 

The requirements for Alabama’s addiction treatment center certification application are pretty standard. You’ll need to provide the following attachments in addition to the paper application:

• Policy and Procedure manual 

• Background checks for key personnel 

• Articles of incorporation 

• Board by-laws and a list of of board members

• Board minutes 

• Program description 

• Resumes for ED, Clinical Director and Board President 

• Org chart

The state of Alabama also has strong opinions about the physical condition of your attachments. They are very clear that  there are no stapes, binders or notebooks allowed. Only “large binder clips or rubber bands” may be used in submitted applications in the state of Alabama. Violate these important mandates at your peril. 

Considering Opening an Addiction Treatment Center, Drug Rehab or Substance Abuse Center Alabama? We Can Help!

Behave Health is committed to making it easier - and more profitable - to operate evidence-based, results-focused addiction treatment centers. 

Our all-in-one app puts clinical, administration, staff, admissions, alumni, residents, treatment plans, billing, insurance authorizations and more - all at your fingertips. 

Get your free trial started today and see why more addiction treatment centers prefer Behave Health.

Need help with certification? Behave Health can also help direct you to the right resources for help with Licensing or Accreditation by either The Joint Commission or CARF. Mention to your product specialist that you’re interested in this service after you start your free trial!