The Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) and Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion (Excellence) Acts are public health policy responses to the United States’ substance abuse crisis. The two proposed policies seek to expand access to behavioral health services and treatment by allocating more resources to developing a robust treatment infrastructure than what is currently available. Additionally, the proposals intend to increase medication-assisted therapies and support wraparound care. According to Salmond and Allread (2019), a practical approach for addressing the opioid menace will need to combine prevention programs with greater accessibility to treatment interventions. The CARE and Excellence Acts propose an array of provisions that will expand the openness, convenience, and receptiveness of healthcare systems to people with substance abuse disorders.
The CARE Act
The United States is undergoing a nationwide public health crisis of substance abuse. Salmond and Allread (2019) contend that nearly 200 Americans die daily from drug-related complications. The problem has been aggravated by the absence of ambitious policies that expand access and promote substance abuse treatment. The CARE Act proposes developing a vibrant treatment infrastructure that brings together state, territorial, and tribal governments. Additionally, the policy suggests the funding of novel treatment models championed by local governments and nonprofit actors. Moreover, the proposal advocates expanding the existing health professionals’ training programs and expanding healthcare providers (“Cummings and Warren,” 2019). Furthermore, the CARE Act broadens the accessibility to overdose reversal drugs and medication-assisted therapies by eradicating barriers that impede the delivery of standard treatment protocols. If implemented, the CARE Act would immensely expand accessibility to treatment options available for substance abuse disorders.
Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act
The Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion (Excellence) Act intends to enhance the full exploitation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) in filling the gaps of unmet needs in addiction and mental healthcare. If adopted, the act will dramatically expand access to comprehensive community-based treatment programs. The CCBHCs have played critical roles in extending evidence-based addiction and mental healthcare to people who previously could not access such care. Preliminary results in CCBHC’s pilot states show that the approach redefines specialty behavioral healthcare delivery in several ways. For instance, the technique eliminates barriers and expands patient-centered care penetration beyond hospitals (Canady, 2018). Upon implementation, the policy will enhance substance and mental healthcare accessibility to people in need regardless of their financial statuses. The Excellence Act will advance medication-assisted treatment and improve the outreach of care providers.
Public and Private Stakeholders Pushing for Policy Change
The CARE and Excellent Acts combine public and private stakeholders’ forces to confront the substance abuse crisis. The public stakeholders include the state governments, Congressional committees, and professional organizations. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the National Council for Behavioral Health, and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services are the leading stakeholders championing policy changes to promote behavioral health services. Private consultants on the opioid crisis are the most prominent non-public stakeholders engaged in fixing the proposals’ loose ends and full rollout. The most robust organizations promoting policies’ change include the Centerstone and A New PATH (Parents Addiction Treatment & Healing). Therefore, an integrated approach that combines private and public stakeholders will help develop practical strategic proposals that will increase access to behavioral health services in the U.S.
Conclusively, enhancing access to behavioral health services is a priority in America’s efforts towards addressing the substance abuse crisis. However, current policies have not improved the accessibility of treatment interventions. The Comprehensive Addiction Resource Emergency and Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Acts propose radical measures that will considerably enhance the transparency, receptiveness, and the overall accessibility to behavioral health services. If implemented, the proposals can redefine the scope and delivery of behavioral health services to the community.
References
Canady, V. (2018). CCBHCs demonstrate a new approach to coordinated community-based care.Mental Health Weekly, 28(16), 1-8. Web.
Cummings and Warren introduce landmark legislation to combat the opioid epidemic. (2019). House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Web.
Salmond, S., & Allread, V. (2019). A population health approach to America’s opioid epidemic.Orthopaedic Nursing, 38(2), 95-108. Web.