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Legislative Advocacy

As one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit providers of behavioral health services, Centerstone strives to offer the latest evidence-based services to our patients, improve care coordination so as to not only improve patient outcomes, but also improve patients’ experiences in receiving care. Centerstone advocates for policy solutions that seek to ensure that patients in need of urgent mental health and addiction care – can obtain the help they need, when they need it. 

Legislative Advocacy for Mental Health and Addiction 

Today, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. Continuing to treat addiction differently than other brain disorders or chronic diseases inhibits our nation’s ability to truly address the drug crisis and provide patients with the highest quality treatment. Similar to other chronic diseases, substance abuse and mental health disorders require comprehensive, evidence-based treatment in order to achieve positive outcomes and build toward recovery.

To better address this devastating public health epidemic, we need to break down regulatory barriers to evidence-based, patient-centered care.  To do this, Centerstone is advocating for the following policy solutions:

Take Action

– Write a message to your legislators in support of mental and behavioral health treatment, programs, and funding.

Prompt Summary

  • Ask your Representative to advocate on behalf of efforts to combat the opioid crisis:
  1. Find your representatives’ contact information.
  2. Call and/or email your representative.
  3. Share with them this message:I am calling/emailing to urge my member of congress to vote and advocate for the advancement of efforts to combat the opioid crisis. Every day, more than 115 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. The misuse of opioids is a serious national threat impacting all individuals regardless of socioeconomic status, age, and geography. Please work to fund and support evidence based, high quality, and accessible treatment services to end opioid misuse and addiction. I’m calling from [city, state, and zip] and my name is [first and last name]. Thank you.

 

– The Crisis Next Door (from The White House and Office of National Drug Control Policy) Share your story by uploading a video about how you overcame addiction, volunteered at a recovery center, or worked as a family to help a loved one get on the path to recovery.

News and Opinion

As news stories and opinion pieces are made available, and when appropriate, Centerstone policy staff will share them to help keep you fully informated as to what is going on in our nation’s capitol regarding all behavioral health topics.

Lauren Conaboy, Vice President of National Policy

Monica Nemec, National Policy Associate