Youth Prevention and Recovery Reauthorization Act Introduced in US Senate
Senators Shelly Moore Capito (WV) and Gary Peters (MI) introduced the Youth Prevention and Recovery Reauthorization Act, which would support the reauthorization of funding for a Department of Health and Human Services grant program that expands access to opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment for adolescents. The funding would support hospitals, local governments, and other programs to increase access opioid addiction medications for teens and young adults with an OUD diagnosis. The funding is also intended to improve local efforts to bring awareness to the risks of fentanyl and provide training to and share best practices with providers, families, and school personnel to support minors with OUD. Dr. Larissa Mooney, President of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, was quoted in the press release saying, “We applaud Senator Peters and Senator Capito for their commitment to expanding access to life saving substance use disorder treatment for youth and adolescents, particularly for racially and ethnically marginalized populations. Research supports treating patients, including youth, with opioid use disorders with FDA-approved medications as the gold standard and we believe this legislation is a critical first step towards improving access to services and better outcomes.”
Articles & Resources
Press Release—In case you missed it: Capito, Peters Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment for Adolescents
SAVE IMD Options Act Also Introduced
On October 19th, Senators John Thune (SD), Maggie Hassan (NH), and Blackburn (TN) introduced the Securing Advances and a Variety of Evidence-Based (SAVE) Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) Options Act. The bill establishes a state option plan in Medicaid to provide patients ages 21-64 with substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Currently, federal law does not allow for Medicaid funds to be used for treatment at IMDs. The bill would permanently expand treatment access to allow for IMDs, hospitals, nursing facilities, and other institutions to treat for SUD and other mental health issues. Senator Blackburn noted, “Since 2021, Tennessee has leveraged the Institutions for Mental Diseases state option to deliver critical treatment and support individuals suffering from substance use disorders…Making this state option permanent and breaking down barriers to comprehensive care would be a major step in the right direction as we address substance us disorders across our nation.”
Articles & Resources
Press Release—Thune Hassan, Blackburn Introduce the SAVE IMD Options Act
What We Read Last Week
Several articles were published last week pertaining to the opioid epidemic, covering a variety of different components of the topic. Links to relevant articles are provided below.
ABC News—US Government says it plans to go after legal goods tied to fentanyl trade in strategy
Axios—Addiction treatment for kids and teenagers lags far behind demand
JAMA Internal—Homelessness and Incidence and Causes of Sudden Death
Politico—The opioid crisis has gotten much, much worse despite Congress’ efforts to stop it
United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia—Former Nurse Practitioner Sentenced to Jail, Fined for Illegal Drug Conspiracy
Washington Post—Pressure mounts in D.C. to declare a public health emergency over opioids
The White House—FACT SHEET: White House Calls on Congress to Advance Critical National Security Priorities
This Week’s Calendar
In the week ahead, there are no relevant events or hearings noticed at this time. In the event that there are any changes to the schedule for this week, we will make additional information available.
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