ASAM Responds to House Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force Request for Information
On November 27, ASAM responded to the House Committee on Ways & Means’ Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force (Task Force) Request for Information about certain topics that affect health status and outcomes in rural and underserved communities.
ASAM's letter focuses on federal policy efforts needed to further strengthen safety and care quality for patients with addiction in health systems that provide care to rural and underserved populations. It notes that the current addiction treatment workforce in rural and underserved communities is too small and severely under-equipped to meet the needs of these Americans. It highlights the need to make strategic investments to support addiction training programs and incentivize clinicians to specialize in the prevention and treatment of addiction. Finally, the letter calls attention to three federal bills that would help address the addiction treatment shortage:
- Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414)
- Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act (H.R. 4974)
- Humane Correctional Health Care Act (H.R. 4141)
Read the letter in full here.