By Pamela Greenberg, MPP, President and CEO, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness; Angela Lee, M.A., Director of Communications and Programs, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness; and Marti Taylor, MSN, President and CEO at OneFifteen
September is Recovery Month, and the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) and its Corporate Partner OneFifteen are celebrating how far we have come as a nation to break down stigma and ensure everyone has access to evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) care, and encouraging further policy action for sustained impact.
Started in 1989, Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.
Challenges and Hope – the Status of SUD in 2023
Before we celebrate Recovery Month 2023, we want to pause and reflect on the number of lives that have been impacted by substance use disorders. These issues have always been widespread, but were exacerbated by the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, 46.3 million people in the U.S. aged 12 or older (or 16.5% of the population) met the applicable DSM-5 criteria for having a substance use disorder. 29.5 million people ages 12 and older (10.6% in this age group) had alcohol use disorder in the past year. Drug deaths increased 30% nationally between 2019 and 2020— the largest year-over-year increase since 2007. In 2022, 105,452 people died of a drug overdose death.
Despite these startling statistics, there is hope for people living with substance use disorders across the country as treatment becomes more accessible, more evidence-based, and more cost-effective.
Today, treatment is more effective than ever before because of our rich understanding of the impact of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), formerly referred to as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT); MOUD improves clinical outcomes, like reducing an individual’s opioid use and opioid-related deaths as well as withdrawal symptoms, and patient-centric outcomes, like increasing rates of employment and enhancing patients’ whole health. When MOUD is paired with other effective treatment options like access to peer support, community health workers, and therapy, patients are more likely to reach sustained recovery. Additionally, MOUD generates cost savings for healthcare systems, local communities, and government institutions.
In 2023, patients are accessing care in ways we would not have considered before the COVID-19 pandemic. Telehealth offers a unique opportunity to address common barriers to treatment access, such as rural geographies, complex social health needs, and stigma. OneFifteen is championing a hybrid care model, one where patients and their providers together determine how best to address their recovery plan based on personal needs, preferences, and clinical history. Telehealth offers a safe, effective alternative to some in-person substance use disorder care that may make all the difference to a patient.
Policy Actions for Impact
As awareness of the prevalence of substance use disorder increases, lawmakers and regulators have proposed numerous pieces of landmark legislation and regulations to increase access to substance use disorder care. This year, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, which removed the X-Waiver, a special certification required for providers to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorders. The removal of the X-Waiver is a historic step forward, making treatment for people with opioid use disorder more readily accessible.
Progress has also been made on the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records (42 CFR Part 2), known as “Part 2.” Part 2 imposes requirements on substance use disorder records that differ from the requirements for mental health and medical records. Having different rules for health care records makes integrating substance use disorder treatment services with general health care challenging. At the end of 2022, federal regulators issued a proposal to treat substance use disorder records more similarly to how mental health and other health care records are treated while continuing to protect a patient’s privacy.
Hopefully, these new rules will be finalized later this year, and we will be a step closer to modernizing privacy regulations for persons with substance use disorders and ensuring patients receive improved, coordinated care.
While we have much to celebrate, our work is not done. We have seen a marked improvement in people’s attitudes about behavioral health; however, stigma still exists. Join us throughout Recovery Month as we work together to eliminate the stigma of substance use disorders and celebrate those living in recovery. Here are ways you can participate:
- Visit ABHW’s Stamp Out Stigma and read stories from individuals on their recovery journey. You can also share your story here
- Sign ABHW Stamp Out Stigma’s pledge to reduce stigma
- Learn more about Recovery Month from our friends at Faces and Voices of Recovery
- Learn more about Navigating Addiction from our friends at Addiction Policy Forum
- Follow OneFifteen and ABHW on LinkedIn, and use #RecoveryMonth in your social media posts
