Advocacy Alert: May 2022 Advocacy Update for BHAP Members

May 16, 2022

Greetings, BHAP Members!

On behalf of Slingshot Solutions, thank you for your membership in BHAP and your commitment to advocacy that will shape the future of behavioral health. As your advocate in Washington, D.C., it is my responsibility to keep you informed when it comes to policy developments, and to represent your interests before the federal government. We do this by working with Congress, the White House and executive agencies, and other interest groups and coalitions.

Andrew Kessler
Principal
Slingshot Solutions LLC

[accessally_missing_any_tag tag_id=’3′]You must be a BHAP member (and logged in) to view this content.
Members Login | Join BHAP[/accessally_missing_any_tag][accessally_has_any_tag tag_id=’3′]

At the Rx Summit in Atlanta last month, the Biden-Harris administration unveiled their first National Drug Control Strategy. Required by Congress and compiled by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, it was presented to the public for the first time by ONDCP Director Dr. Rahul Gupta. Expanding on the priorities of the administration announced last spring, the document shines a spotlight on recovery support services, harm reduction, and the SUD workforce.

For the first time ever, the strategy made direct references to harm reduction and the strategies that it entails, as well as plans to invest in these lifesaving methodologies. Seeking an approach that emphasizes working directly with people who use drugs in order to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission, the administration wishes to offer flexible options for accessing substance use disorder treatment and other health care services. Specifically, the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on harm reduction includes naloxone, drug test strips, and syringe services programs. The core tenets of the strategy’s harm reduction program are to be care, support, connection, and respect. The goal is to increase harm reduction services by collaborating with public safety agencies, and to foster changes in state laws that will allow for more effective strategies to flourish.

Workforce was another priority of the report, and peers played a large role. Peers play diverse roles across systems, sectors, and settings, providing a vital connective tissue linking diverse points on the intervention continuum. They are not limited to serving the patients of a specific treatment provider, can serve individuals who are not in and have not received treatment, and are not limited by the length of reimbursable treatment episodes. Peer workers employed by RCOs provide a bi-directional bridge between formal systems (e.g., SUD treatment, health care, child welfare, or criminal justice systems) and community-based resources such as family, mutual aid groups, housing, employment, faith groups, and the broader recovery community.

An entire section of the report is entitled “Building a Recovery Ready Nation.” The goal is to promote quality of life, a sense of self-efficacy and purpose, and improvements in social and emotional functioning and wellbeing. Through a process of building recovery capital and the expansion of recovery support services, more individuals can be engaged and receive help navigating their process. There is also a strong emphasis on recovery research, as the report cites evidence of the effectiveness of recovery coaching is also emerging. One study found that parents with SUD who were involved in the child welfare system and who were randomly assigned to receive recovery coaching were significantly more likely to achieve and maintain reunification with their children than parents randomly assigned to usual services. Other studies found that recovery coaches benefit those they serve by improving relationships with providers and social supports, increasing treatment utilization. The strategy also recognizes the importance of recovery services in various settings, such as collegiate campuses and recovery high schools.

The Administration seems willing to put its money where its mouth is by investing in all the aforementioned pursuits. The primary mechanism for this funding is a recommended 10% set aside in the SAPT block grant for recovery support services, which was suggested but not adopted last year. Even though the White House wants to see this change made, Congress will make the final decision. Our advocacy will be focused on making this vision a reality, so that recovery receives an established funding stream and a reliable infrastructure may be built.

[/accessally_has_any_tag]

Questions? Concerns?

As always, we want your input. Please contact us with any questions or concerns you have about our advocacy efforts.