Medication Policy: Residents and Their Health Care

Recovery housing is not a treatment or clinical setting, therefore it is important that homes allow residents to work with their health care professionals to determine what medications are appropriate for them based on any behavioral or physical health needs.

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Residents may be prescribed medication at any time 

A resident may enter into a recovery home, and then after working with their health care provider, be prescribed medication.  Therefore, medication policies need to go beyond just screening and orientation processes, but be implemented consistently over time and consider the changing health care needs of residents.

Additionally, residents may need to take over the counter medications that are not prescribed, or wish to take supplements or other products that are sold without a prescription.  Your medication policy should consider all of these elements and provide answers to common questions around over the counter medications as well as supplements.

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Resident and their health condition

As previously mentioned, recovery housing is not a clinical or treatment setting. It is unlawful to discriminate against individuals who have a specific health condition. Accordingly, it is not recommended to ask residents about any specific health conditions that they may have, as it may lead to unlawful bias in deciding who and how someone can live in the house. Though the resident can freely tell you, without duress, about any condition they may have, the resident has the right not to ever tell you anything about their health condition.

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Peer Support

Peer support can contribute to the effectiveness of medication policies in recovery homes by fostering a sense of community and accountability among residents.