Congressman Mike Turner reintroduced The TREAT Act, The Reforming and Expanding Access to Treatment Act. The reintroduction of the bipartisan legislation followed Congressman Turner’s meeting with Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth. This legislation will increase flexibility in how existing federal funding can be used to combat the opioid epidemic.
“Our country is facing an exponentially growing epidemic of opioid abuse that is resulting in drastic increases in addiction rates, overdose deaths, and incarceration. I have been working closely with the greater Dayton community for the past 4 years to fight this epidemic,” said Congressman Turner. “This bill would take commonsense steps to expand access to the resources used in treating individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders.”
In the 114th Congress, the TREAT Act gained support from the following organizations:
- Ohio HIDTA
- Buckeye Sheriffs Association
- Greene County Prosecutor
- Greene County Board of Commissioners
- Greater Miami Valley Emergency Medical Services Council
- County Commissioners Association of Ohio
- NACo
- CorJus, Inc. (representing ten of Ohio’s publicly operated Community Correctional Facilities)
- Miami Township Board of Trustees
- City of Dayton
Areas of Impact
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) prohibits the use of grants from its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) for substance abuse treatment services provided to individuals who are incarcerated. Under this bill, these resources will be made available to individuals in both community-based and institutional settings.
- Under Medicaid’s Institution for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion facilities with more than sixteen beds are not eligible for reimbursement. As such, the IMD exclusion prevents reimbursement for substance abuse treatment provided to incarcerated individuals who are otherwise enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid. Under this bill, substance abuse treatment provided at correctional institutions would become eligible for reimbursement.
Congressman Turner has been fighting the opioid epidemic in Dayton since 2013:
- December 18, 2013: Toured Soin Medical Center, where issue of Heroin-Exposed Newborns was raised.
- March 10, 2014: Met with area hospitals to discuss the growing issue of Heroin-Exposed Newborns.
- May 15, 2014: Visited Dayton Children’s Hospital NICU to discuss infant heroin exposure and the withdrawal and recovery process.
- June 30, 2014: Held a Community Forum on the Effects of the Heroin Epidemic on Newborns.
- August 27, 2014: Visited the Women’s Recovery Center.
- May 2015: Held Community Summit on Heroin-Exposed Infants.
- August 21, 2015: Toured Greene County Jail and Green Leaf Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program; met with criminal justice system administrators and substance abuse and mental health leadership.
- November 18, 2015: Met with ONDCP Director Michael Botticelli and introduced the TREAT Act with Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) and Congresswoman Niki Tsongas (MA-3).
- May 12, 2016: The House passed an amendment he cosponsored to increase access to treatment for pregnant women struggling with substance abuse.
- May 25, 2016: Introduced CRIB Act to help expand access to specialized treatment and recovery options for infants suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a withdrawal condition in newborns often caused by use of opioids and other addictive substances in pregnant women.
- August 29, 2016: Hosted a Heroin Epidemic Response Roundtable with Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (WI-05).
- October 28, 2016: Hosted a roundtable discussion on the opioid and heroin epidemic in Dayton with Senator Rob Portman (OH).
- February 2, 2017: Joined the bipartisan Addiction, Treatment