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Alaska Statutes.

Title 47. Welfare, Social Services and Institutions

Chapter 37. Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act

Section 40. Duties of Department.

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AS 47.37.040. Duties of Department.

The department shall

(1) develop, encourage, and foster statewide, regional, and local plans and programs for the prevention of alcoholism and drug abuse and treatment of alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers in cooperation with public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals, and provide technical assistance and consultation services for these purposes;

(2) coordinate the efforts and enlist the assistance of all public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals interested in prevention of alcoholism, drug abuse, and inhalant abuse, and treatment of alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers;

(3) cooperate with the Department of Corrections in establishing and conducting programs to provide treatment for alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers in or on parole from penal institutions;

(4) cooperate with the Department of Education and Early Development, school boards, schools, police departments, courts, and other public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals in establishing programs for the prevention of alcoholism, drug abuse, and inhalant abuse, and treatment of alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers, and preparing curriculum materials for use at all levels of school education;

(5) prepare, publish, evaluate, and disseminate educational material dealing with the nature and effects of alcohol and drugs, and the misuse of hazardous volatile substances;

(6) develop and implement, as an integral part of treatment programs, an educational program for use in the treatment of alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers that includes the dissemination of information concerning the nature and effects of alcohol, drugs, and hazardous volatile substances;

(7) organize and foster training programs for all persons engaged in treatment of alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers, and establish standards for training paraprofessional alcoholism, drug abuse, and inhalant abuse workers;

(8) sponsor and encourage research into the causes and nature of alcoholism, drug abuse, and inhalant abuse, and the treatment of alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers, and serve as a clearinghouse for information relating to alcoholism, drug abuse, and inhalant abuse;

(9) specify uniform methods for keeping statistical information by public and private agencies, organizations, and individuals, and collect and make available relevant statistical information, including number of persons treated, frequency of admission and readmission, and frequency and duration of treatment;

(10) conduct program planning activities approved by the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse;

(11) review all state health, welfare, and treatment plans to be submitted for federal funding, and advise the commissioner on provisions to be included relating to alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers;

(12) assist in the development of, and cooperate with, alcohol, drug abuse, and inhalant abuse education and treatment programs for employees of state and local governments and businesses and industries in the state;

(13) use the support and assistance of interested persons in the community, particularly recovered alcoholics, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers, to encourage alcoholics, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers to voluntarily undergo treatment;

(14) cooperate with the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities in establishing and conducting programs designed to deal with the problem of persons operating motor vehicles while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, inhalant, or controlled substance, and develop and approve alcohol information courses required to be taken by drivers under AS 28.15 or made available to drivers to reduce points assessed for violation of traffic laws;

(15) encourage hospitals and other appropriate health facilities to admit without discrimination alcoholics, intoxicated persons, drug abusers, and inhalant abusers and to provide them with adequate and appropriate treatment;

(16) encourage all health insurance programs to include alcoholism and drug abuse as a covered illness;

(17) prepare an annual report covering the activities of the department and notify the legislature that the report is available;

(18) develop and implement a training program on alcoholism and drug abuse for employees of state and municipal governments, and private institutions;

(19) develop curriculum materials on drug and alcohol abuse and the misuse of hazardous volatile substances for use in grades kindergarten through 12, as well as a course of instruction for teachers to be charged with presenting the curriculum;

(20) develop and implement or designate, in cooperation with other state or local agencies, a juvenile alcohol safety action program that provides alcohol and substance abuse screening, referral, and monitoring of persons under 18 years of age who have been referred to it by

(A) a court in connection with a charge or conviction of a violation or misdemeanor related to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance;

(B) the agency responsible for the administration of motor vehicle laws in connection with a license action related to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance; or

(C) department staff after a delinquency adjudication that is related to the use of alcohol or a controlled substance;

(21) develop and implement, or designate, in cooperation with other state or local agencies, an alcohol safety action program that provides alcohol and substance abuse screening, referral, and monitoring services to persons who have been referred by a court in connection with a charge or conviction of a misdemeanor involving the use of a motor vehicle, aircraft, or watercraft and alcohol or a controlled substance, referred by a court under AS 28.35.028 , or referred by an agency of the state with the responsibility for administering motor vehicle laws in connection with a driver's license action involving the use of alcohol or a controlled substance.

(22) whenever possible, apply evidence-based, research-based, and consensus-based substance abuse and co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders treatment practices and remove barriers that prevent the use of those practices;

(23) collaborate with first responders, hospitals, schools, primary care providers, developmental disability treatment providers, law enforcement, corrections, attorneys, the Alaska Court System, community behavioral treatment providers, Alaska Native organizations, and federally funded programs in implementing programs for co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders treatment.