Nursing facilities can’t blanket ban people with addiction history, per N.C. settlement ADA is basis of agreement that could set national precedent for people taking addiction medications

https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/21/addiction-medication-access-north-carolina-ada-lawsuit-settled/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--sFXxZOdI5EtGsDV0R1mMWO06nsY1z6Wp_kIy1kOL8_qdv2yWfbIzUfcQhz0mXTT1eOzv3bu3lU0uA7ACW8dh1BV_nbQ&_hsmi=386063668&utm_content=386063668&utm_source=hs_email A new precedent for long-term care admissions? Two skilled nursing facilities in North Carolina will adopt new anti-discrimination admission policies after reaching a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a “John Doe” who was denied admission. The policies will apply both to people currently using illegal drugs and those taking addiction medications. Facilities are not required to bend their own rules regarding the use of drugs by patients, but they will not be allowed to automatically deny someone based on past substance use. “If our client had been interviewed — if he had been assessed using non-discrimination policies — he would have been admitted, most likely,” said Sara Harrington, an attorney with Disability Rights North Carolina. “He’s in a facility now, and has been there for over a year, and any concerns the other facilities had came to nothing, because he’s a great resident.” Read more from STAT’s Lev Facher on how the settlement could set a precedent for how long-term care facilities around the country treat people with addiction.