Protect Recovery. Protect Choice.

Protect Continuity.

federalregister.gov

Stop the July 1 disruption of Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
treatment in Box Elder, Cache, and Rich Counties

Effective substance use disorder treatment saves lives. Recovery depends on trust,
consistency, appropriate level of care, and the ability to keep working with providers who know the patient, the treatment plan, and the risks involved.

Beecon Recovery has the nation’s #1 recidivism rate, currently at 30%.

Right now, Medicaid patients receiving SUD treatment in Box Elder, Cache, and Rich Counties are facing an increased risk of relapse, scheduled for July 1, 2026.
Current notices state that Bear River Mental Health Services / Bear River Behavioral Health Services will manage outpatient substance use disorder services for Medicaid members in these counties. Providers have been told that Single Case Agreements are required in order to continue serving Medicaid patients after July 1.

Beecon Recovery is deeply concerned that this transition is moving much too quickly and will disrupt the Continuity of Care for current and future patients who are engaged in treatment at Beecon Recovery.
This is a recovery issue! This is a patient-choice issue! This is a continuity-of-care issue!
This is a life or death issue!

At Beecon Recovery alone, dozens of Medicaid patients will be affected. Across Box Elder,
Cache, and Rich Counties, the impact is much larger. Many people in SUD treatment rely on consistent therapy, peer support, case management, structure, recovery housing support, and a team they already trust. A sudden provider disruption will greatly increase the risk of serious harm, including relapse, treatment dropout, housing loss, hospitalization, justice-system consequences, and loss of recovery progress, and even death.

We are also concerned that patients Bear River have not always had access to the appropriate ASAM level of care. Some patients require higher-intensity outpatient treatment, including ASAM Level 2.5/HIOP-level care. If Bear River was not licensed to provide that level of care before July 1, 2026, then patients needing that level should not have been assessed, routed, or treated as though a lower level of care was clinically sufficient. Doing so risks misidentifying the patient’s true treatment needs, placing them in an inadequate level of care, and disrupting recovery for administrative, monetary, or any other reason. Medicaid and DHHS must protect patients first, not funnel them into a system that lacks the license, structure, or capacity to meet their clinical requirements.

We are asking Utah DHHS, Utah Medicaid, Bear River Mental Health Services, Bear River
Behavioral Health Services, Bear River Health Department, local officials, state legislators, and
community leaders to act immediately.

We are asking for:

1. No forced disruption of current and future substance use disorder treatment at Beecon
Revovery.
2. Continuity-of-Care protection for all patients receiving treatment at Beecon Recovery.
3. The right for patients at Beecon Recovery to continue to receive our nations #1
treatment program. Beecon is qualified, licensed, clinically appropriate, Medicaid-
enrolled, and ready to provide care.
4. No forced transfer to the Bear River model of treatment.
5. Protection of patient choice and access to all local recovery services in Box Elder,
Cache, and Rich Counties.
6. Immediate removal of all SUD patients from Bear River Mental Health pending an
investigation into the fraudulent and life-threatening policies and procedures at Bear
River Mental Health.

This situation shows a serious disregard for a vulnerable population. Patients are expected to absorb the consequences of a rushed transition, unclear process, or administrative delay. Thes are human beings in recovery and deserve better!
No one should lose access to chossing their own treatment because of a fraudulant and unconstitutional Medicaid treatmant transfer.
No patient should be forced into uncertainty when they are actively engaged in the hard work of recovery.
No community should lose local recovery access without a safe, transparent, patient-centered plan.

Please sign this petition and share it with others who believe recovery should be protected, patient choice should matter, and continuity of care should come first.

Protect Recovery. Protect Choice. Protect Continuity.

ASAM : The American Society of Addiction Medicine, the national authority that created the ASAM Criteria used to determine the appropriate level of addiction treatment for all people. The ASAM Criteria evaluate the patient’s full clinical picture, including withdrawal risk, medical and mental health needs, readiness for treatment, relapse risk, recovery environment, and support needs. In practice, the ASAM is meant to make sure patients are placed in the level of care that is medically necessary for their safety and recovery, rather than being placed based on convenience, provider preference, insurance limits, or administrative pressure.

Continuity of Care : the full range of addiction treatment levels and services needed to match patients to the right level of care based on their multidimensional clinical needs, including placement, continued treatment, transfer, and discharge decisions. It means patients should have access to the level of care that is medically appropriate for their condition—not be forced into a lower, unavailable, or preferred-provider option because of administrative or network barriers.

Single Case Agreement:(SCA) is a one-time contract between an insurance plan, Medicaid authority, or managed-care entity and an out-of-network provider that allows one specific patient to receive covered services from that provider. SCAs can be helpful in rare situations, but they become harmful when they are used as a barrier instead of a bridge: they delay care, create uncertainty for patients already in treatment, force providers to renegotiate patient-by-patient instead of being treated as legitimate network providers, and can pressure patients to leave established treatment relationships even when continuity of care is clinically important.