Letter to Support the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act

WV CAG joined nearly 200 state and national organizations to urge Congress to pass the MAT (Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment) Act by the end of the year. If passed, the MAT Act would prevent overdoses, increase access to treatment, and reduce stigma by removing federal rules that prevent healthcare providers from prescribing a lifesaving medication for opioid use disorder.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the MAT Act in June as part of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022. The package passed with near-unanimous bipartisan support (402-20). 

Since 1997, the United States has lost more than one million people to drug overdoses. More than 108,000 of those deaths occurred in 2021 alone. If nothing changes, we are projected to lose one million more people to drug overdose by 2030. Each person lost to the U.S. overdose crisis leaves behind children without a parent, lost siblings, friends, and communities. 

Overdose deaths are preventable through evidence-based treatment, including medications for opioid use disorder that prevent withdrawal symptoms and stem cravings. By passing the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, Congress can prevent future deaths and help people with substance use disorder secure recovery.

 

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Read more about how WV CAG supports healthcare in our work here.