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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 (February-March 2019)

– 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 from [your city, state] to urge my member of congress to vote and advocate for the advancement of efforts to combat the opioid crisis through advancing the behavioral health workforce. Today, 50% of rural counties in America have no clinicians to address mental health or substance use disorders. Fortunately, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S.286/H.R.945) would recognize mental health counselors (MHC) and marriage and family therapists (MFT) as covered Medicare providers. Passing this bill, would be an immense stride in addressing our nation’s behavioral health workforce shortage and getting patients timely access to care when they need it most. 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