To the Members of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives:
As the 114th Congress comes to a close and opportunities are emerging to introduce new funding, the
undersigned organizations respectfully urge you to consider the urgent and growing need to effectively
address the opioid epidemic in our country.
Significant funding is needed to ensure evidence-based approaches to prevention, treatment, and recovery
strategies are available to the many Americans who so desperately need them. The wide-ranging and
devastating impact of this true public health emergency on individuals, families, and our communities
demonstrates the pressing need for this critical funding.
Public awareness of the opioid crisis has grown significantly in recent months as its effects continue to be felt
by more and more of our nation’s residents. Importantly, this greater awareness also highlights shifting
attitudes in how we as a society view addiction and substance use disorders, treating them as the diseases they
are rather than as moral failings or weaknesses. As noted in the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent report on
addiction1, adopting an evidence-based approach to prevention, treatment, and recovery is essential in
addressing substance use disorders, as it would be with other health conditions.
We therefore urge you to provide the maximum possible allocation to fund not only the grant programs
designated under the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) passed earlier this year,
but to also substantially increase funding for much-needed prevention and treatment efforts for opioid
misuse and related disorders.
As legislators, you have heard the personal experiences of your constituents whose lives have been affected
by the opioid epidemic. You have shared these experiences in committee hearings, on the floor of the House
of Representatives and the Senate, in town halls in your communities, and in countless other meetings, and
you have taken action to help improve programs that support efforts to address this public health crisis. We
deeply appreciate your work, and as providers we strongly urge Congress to ensure that existing and newly created programs have the necessary resources to meet the needs of patients and families struggling with
opioid use disorders.
Thank you again for your bipartisan work to date to help fight this disease. With this final opportunity before
the end of the 114th Congress, we encourage you to provide the maximum possible funding for prevention,
treatment, and recovery efforts, and we stand ready to support you in this vital effort.
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