Madam President, today I rise to introduce the Peer Support Services Center of Excellence Act, a bipartisan bill that I have authored to help combat the vast and growing opioid epidemic. I want to…
Madam President, today I rise to introduce the Peer Support Services Center of Excellence Act, a bipartisan bill that I have authored to help combat the vast and growing opioid epidemic. I want to acknowledge and thank Senator Shaheen for her leadership on this effort, and I look forward to continuing to work with her and others on this important legislation.
Last year in Maine, 716 people died from a drug overdose--a record number. Tragically, this was the third consecutive year that Maine set a record for fatal overdoses. Nationwide, nearly 110,000 Americans were lost in 2022 to overdoses. It is clear that we need to take an all-of- the-above approach to tackle this crisis. This includes support for education and prevention, treatment, law enforcement, and border security. No single focus will be enough on its own.
One ongoing challenge to reducing the number of overdose deaths is that far too often individuals suffer an addiction relapse. Indeed, a nonfatal overdose is a leading predictor for a future fatal overdose. We must do more to address this reality. Between 40 and 60 percent of individuals in treatment for substance use disorders relapse, and this rate is often much higher for those struggling with opioid addiction. Relapse rates are high, but that does not mean relapse is inevitable.
One way that individuals struggling with addiction are finding support is through peer recovery groups. In 2018, Senator Shaheen and I introduced the Opioid Peer Support Networks Act, much of which was enacted as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act that year. Our bill fostered the expansion of peer support networks through the creation of a National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance Center for Addiction Recovery Support. This center provides no-cost training and assistance to recovery community organizations, or RCOs, and peer support networks to integrate peer support workers into nontraditional settings, build and strengthen the capacity of RCOs, enhance the professionalism of peers through workforce development, as well as provide evidence-based and practice-based tool kits and resource information to stakeholders.
This national center has enhanced the field of peer recovery support services. Through the center's work, in fiscal year 2022, nearly 2,000 individuals were trained in how to support RCOs and peer support networks, and nearly 200 individuals were trained to provide specialized technical assistance, evaluate and improve the effectiveness of services provided by RCOs, and offer translation and interpretation services, data collection support, and capacity building expertise. This training is improving the services that are offered by organizations across our country, and the center has provided a platform for experts and recovery centers to learn from each other's experiences.
In peer support networks, individuals and families battling addiction help one another stay firm on the road to recovery by assisting with employment, education, housing, health and overall well-being. I have visited the Bangor Area Recovery Network, or BARN, in Brewer, ME, which is a volunteer-led organization that provides support to individuals recovering from addiction. BARN is a model for peer-led counseling and brings hope, recovery support, and healing to those struggling with substance abuse. Individuals who are themselves in recovery can make that critical connection to others facing addiction, which, in turn, can make the recovery process sustainable and reduce the stigma of addiction and treatment.
In recent years, in response to growing need and community efforts to expand recovery programming, Maine has seen the presence of RCOs like BARN grow across our State. As of January 2023, there were 19 recovery centers--from Sanford to Caribou--operated by people in recovery who are serving their local communities by offering peer-based support services, among other activities.
After touring BARN and other similar organizations, I believe the emergence of peer-based and other recovery support services is one of the most significant trends in the addiction field. Peer-based recovery support services are unique in that they cover a wide range of activities not generally offered by treatment providers. This includes recovery coaching, support groups, sober social activities, as well as housing, transportation, and employment services. In offering services beyond treatment, this model provides the strong support system that is essential to recovery. As one of BARN's core beliefs tells us, ``A supportive community is vital to a successful recovery.''
The Opioid Peer Support Networks Act brought critical training and assistance to these on-the-ground peer-to-peer networks and helped build up these important recovery support systems. Our new bill reauthorizes the National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance Center for Addiction Recovery Support that is set to expire, and it expands upon the work made possible by our bill that was enacted 5 years ago. In addition to reauthorizing the center, our bill would create a pilot program for a regional center of excellence that could assist the national center and tailor its work to the needs of a particular region.
We believe that the development of regional assistance programs, along with the continuation of a national center, will promote coordination and effectiveness of technical assistance delivery. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, utilizing a regional model to grow the national center's reach may be an effective way to triage and distribute technical assistance requests and ensure that all entry points are coordinated centrally by retaining the National Center.
Tackling the opioid epidemic, both its causes and consequences, requires a multi-pronged approach. The bipartisan bill I have introduced continues and builds upon one proven way to respond to this growing problem--supporting individuals in recovery through proven support systems.
I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.
