ASAM Introduces Advocacy Roadmap to Bolster America’s Addiction Prevention and Treatment Infrastructure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The document outlines specific policies for strengthening the addiction treatment workforce, standardizing the delivery of individualized addiction treatment, and ensuring equitable access and coverage for comprehensive, high-quality addiction care
ROCKVILLE, MD. – Today the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)—a professional medical society representing over 6,000 physicians, clinicians and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine—released its Advocacy Roadmap urging bold, swift, and comprehensive action for addressing the human and societal costs of addiction in the United States. The document, which outlines specific policy recommendations and activities for improving America’s addiction prevention and treatment infrastructure, serves as a strategic plan for preventing and treating addiction and saving lives.
In order to ensure a future in which addiction prevention, treatment, remission, and recovery are accessible to all and profoundly improve the health of people with addiction, the Advocacy Roadmap details actionable policies for policymakers to consider. The document will guide ASAM’s advocacy efforts as it works with stakeholders to strengthen America’s addiction treatment workforce, standardize the delivery of individualized addiction treatment, and ensure equitable access and coverage for comprehensive, high-quality addiction care.
“We need comprehensive solutions to address such a complex problem,” said Paul H. Earley, MD, DFASAM, president of ASAM. “With the Advocacy Roadmap as our guide, ASAM will continue to advocate for equitable access to and coverage for evidence-based addiction treatment services, increased funding for addiction research, and better education among professionals and the public to challenge the stigma and discrimination surrounding individuals with addiction. While our country and profession face significant challenges, we have also made notable progress. ASAM remains dedicated to treating addiction compassionately and effectively and, by doing so, saving lives.”
Addiction––a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences––remains a serious issue in the United States. In 2018, approximately 20.3 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Yet, while over 67,000 Americans died as a result of a drug overdose in 2018, the second highest total on record, far too many Americans struggle to access high-quality, evidence-based addiction care.
To view the Advocacy Roadmap, CLICK HERE.
About ASAM
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), founded in 1954, is a professional medical society representing over 6,000 physicians, clinicians and associated professionals in the field of addiction medicine. ASAM is dedicated to increasing access and improving the quality of addiction treatment, educating physicians and the public, supporting research and prevention, and promoting the appropriate role of physicians in the care of patients with addiction. For more information, visit www.ASAM.org.
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