States battling the opioid epidemic may now have some relief. Wednesday, July 13, 2016, the US Senate passed a bill allowing for $181 million in federal grants to be used towards curbing the nation’s opioid and heroin abuse problem. Once signed by the president, the new legislation, called the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), would:
- Allow more health care workers (including nurse practitioners and physician assistants) to administer opioid addiction medications, such as buprenorphine
- Expand educational outreach programs targeting teens, parents and the elderly, among others
- Make naloxone (the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses) more available to law enforcement and first responders
- Develop further resources for incarcerated individuals in need of addiction treatment
- Encourage alternatives to incarceration for those with a substance use disorder
- Expand medication “disposal sites” for old or unused prescription drugs in order to prevent unintended access to minors
- Broaden monitoring programs in order to identify those at risk of a prescription drug addiction
“This is a historic moment, the first time in decades that Congress has passed comprehensive addiction legislation, and the first time Congress has ever supported long-term addiction recovery,” said Sen. Rob Portman, one of the legislation’s chief authors. “This is also the first time that we’ve treated addiction like the disease that it is, which will help put an end to the stigma that has surrounded addiction for too long.” While many are enthused Congress is finally taking action on the issue, others claim that while the legislation is a good first step, a lot more will need to be done to stop or even slow the epidemic, starting with the authorization of funds. While the legislation was passed, funding for the legislation was not. Republicans plan to address this in a separate bill when they return from summer recess in September. To learn more about the legislation or the funding battles that lie ahead, read this in-depth article on Cleveland.com.
