President Donald Trump speaking Wednesday just outside Harrisburg.
Credit: Staff Sgt. Tony Harp/U.S. Air National Guard
Legislation signed into law Wednesday by Republican President Donald Trump is aimed at making opioid abuse treatment available to more people.
The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act was signed during a ceremony at the White House. It will expand treatment and make it harder to ship illegal drugs via mail. The legislation included Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s REACH OUT Act and CONNECTIONS Act.
“Together, we will defeat this epidemic – it’s a true epidemic – as one people, one family, and one magnificent nation under God,” Trump said before signing the legislation.
With Trump’s signature, opioid abuse treatment will become more accessible through government-run Medicaid. In addition, Medicaid funds will be able to go toward treatment facilities with more than 16 beds. A major hurdle in the local fight against opioid problems has been finding funding or insurance for abusers who are looking to get treatment.
Additional measures will see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tackle the spread of illness through needles often used to inject illegal drugs, set up new grants to fight the opioid program, and expand the funding and authority of the Food and Drug Administration as they work to fight opioids from coming into the country via mail.
Fitzpatrick’s REACH OUT legislation has to do with the CDC working with prescribers identified as clinical outliers to share best practices following evaluation of their prescribing behavior. The CONNECTIONS Act, which was authored by Fitzpatrick and a Republican and Democratic peer, allows the CDC to award grant funds and assistance to state and local government while also improve federal support for state prescription drug monitoring programs and data collection.
The legislation signed by the president received bipartisan support in a country where more than 115 people die after overdosing on opioids every day. In 2017, there were 232 deaths in Bucks County due to overdoses.
“As Bucks and Montgomery counties continue to combat opioid abuse and addiction, the bipartisan SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act will boost our prevention efforts, protect our communities, expand access to treatment and recovery services, and crack down on illicit imports of drugs like fentanyl,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “While there is still much work to be done, this bipartisan effort will support families across the nation and make our communities safer.”
