Section 2060.320  Staff Qualifications

a)         Any staff person who delivers clinical treatment services as defined in Section 2060.410 or early intervention services as defined in Section 2060.405 in a licensed setting shall hereafter be referenced as "professional staff" and, shall, upon hire:

1)         Hold certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor from the Illinois Certification Board (ICB);

2)         Be a licensed professional counselor or a licensed clinical professional counselor pursuant to the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing Act [225 ILCS 107];

3)         Be a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of 1987;

4)         Be a licensed clinical psychologist pursuant to the Clinical Psychology Practice Act [225 ILCS 15];

5)         Be a licensed social worker (LSW) or licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) pursuant to the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act [225 ILCS 20];

6)         Be a licensed marriage and family therapist pursuant to the Marriage and Family Therapy Act [225 ILCS 55]; or

7)         Be a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) or a physician assistant with a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in psychiatry in accordance with the requirements specified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. 

b)         Any staff person who provides DUI evaluations as specified in Section 2060.510, DUI risk education as specified in Section 2060.520, or designated program services as specified in Section 2060.530 shall:

1)         Meet at least one of the qualifications specified in subsection (a); or

2)         Hold certification as an Assessment and Referral Specialist (CARS) or a Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional (CCJP) from the Illinois Certification Board (ICB).

c)         Organizations that deliver medically monitored withdrawal management (ASAM Level 3.7 care) shall have at least one staff, 24 hours a day, who is:

1)         Appropriately licensed and credentialed under the Nurse Practice Act [225 ILCS 65] to administer medication in accordance with an order from a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant and to conduct an alcohol- and drug-focused nursing evaluation at the time of patient admission and throughout the length of stay; or

2)         A certified emergency medical technician pursuant to Section 4.12 of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act [210 ILCS  50/4.12] who has completed at least 40 clock hours of formal training in the field of substance use disorder treatment.

d)         Any other staff who provide direct patient care that is not defined as a clinical treatment service shall be supervised by professional staff in accordance with the requirements in Section 2060.325.

e)         Paid and unpaid interns or volunteers may be used to deliver clinical services and in all cases shall be supervised by professional staff as specified in Section 2060.325.  Additionally, the number of volunteers and interns on duty shall not exceed the number of professional staff on duty.  Supervision must be documented by time, date, duration, and supervisory signature in the intern or volunteer personnel record and must be separate from regular patient staffing.  This supervision shall also be verifiable by time, date, duration, and supervisory signature on all clinical services documented by the intern or volunteer in the patient record.

f)         Any new staff, including interns, who provide clinical treatment services or assessment services in a licensed designated program who do not, when hired, meet the requirements of subsections (a) or (b), shall:

1)         Obtain one of the required credentials no later than two years from the date of employment or internship. Previous work experience, paid or unpaid, in the SUD field is considered cumulative and shall be counted as part of this two-year requirement;

2)         Not work in any clinical supervisory capacity until such requirements are met;

3)         Not provide any clinical treatment service or assessment service that is not supervised by a professional staff as specified in Section 2060.325, until such person has obtained the credential specified in subsections (a) or (b).  Organizations shall have policies and procedures that identify the methodology and time frame utilized for continued supervision of any non-credentialed clinical staff.  Supervision shall be documented in the staff personnel record by time, date, duration, and supervisory signature and include a brief synopsis of the covered content.  Supervision shall also be verifiable by time, date, duration, and supervisory signature on all clinical services documented by the supervisee in the client/patient record;

4)         Be prohibited from providing clinical treatment services or assessment services in a designated program after the required two-year period until the requirements of subsections (a) or (b) are met; and

5)         Sign and adhere to the established code of ethics developed by the applicable certifying or licensing body.

g)         The organization shall inform and obtain the written consent of each client/patient who will be receiving services from any staff working under supervision and ensure that the client/patient gives written consent to have services delivered in this manner.

h)         Notwithstanding the requirements specified in this Section, staff who provide DUI evaluations and DUI risk education shall meet the requirements specified in subsections (a) or (b) when hired.

i)          Staff who will provide services as a recovery home operator or manager, as specified in Section 2060.540, shall, upon hire, hold certification as a National Certified Recovery Specialist (NCRS) from the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), or as, a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist (CPRS), a Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS), or any other alcohol or drug (AOD) credential from ICB or receive such certification within two years of the date of employment under the supervision of staff holding one or more of the credentials specified in this subsection.

j)          It is the responsibility of each organization to verify with documentation that all applicable staff referenced herein meet the requirements outlined in this Section.