Advocacy Alert: NBHAP’s Support of Bipartisan SUPPORT Act

April 17, 2025

via Energy & Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie

On April 8, 2025, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, led by Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), will mark up 26 bills, including H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025. This bipartisan legislation, which is co-led by Chairman Guthrie and Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), has received widespread support from over 160 vital substance use disorder treatment and recovery organizations, including NBHAP.

Here's what they're saying:

"The state of behavioral health in America remains a national crisis, with millions of people across the nation experiencing an SUD and 1 in 5 Americans experiencing an MH condition each year," said Debbie Witchey, MHA, President and CEO of Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW). "The SUPPORT Act is critical to effectively addressing SUDs and co-occurring MH conditions. Its policies and provisions will continue to embrace prevention, treatment, and a pathway to recovery."

"Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a nearly 24% decline in drug overdose deaths from September 2023 through September 2024. The number of overdose deaths during this 12-month period was the lowest since June 2020," said Advocates for Opioid Addiction Treatment (AOAT). "Without question, the bipartisan SUPPORT Act of 2018, which expanded access to treatment and began addressing treatment workforce shortages played a critical role in reversing the tragic and deadly overdose trend and saving lives."

"Overdose rates are beginning to drop slightly, and we firmly believe that our investment in recovery support services is a major reason why. The SUPPORT Act gave rise to the Building Communities of Recovery Program, which seeks to mobilize and connect a broad array of community-based resources for persons with substance use disorders (SUD) and co-occurring substance use and mental disorders (COD)," said Patty McCarthy, CEO of Faces & Voices of Recovery. "You have our full-throated support for the passage of this legislation, and we look forward to your continued commitment to the advancement of SUD treatment and recovery."

Background:

H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025m reauthorizes key public health programs focused on prevention, treatment, and recovery for patients with substance use disorder that were established in the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, which was signed into law in 2018.

Read the full press release here.

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