National Recovery Month
NATIONAL RECOVERY MONTH -- (Extensions of Remarks - September 21, 2005)
SPEECH OF
HON. TAMMY BALDWIN
OF WISCONSIN
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2005
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 16th annual celebration of National Recovery Month, and to salute those who have shown us the promise and possibility of recovering from addiction. I am proud to be a member of the Congressional Caucus on Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery, and I join my colleagues in highlighting the need for increased access to treatment.
Despite the fact that virtually everyone has a relative, coworker, friend, or neighbor who has had problems with alcohol, drugs, or other addictive behaviors, the difficulties in getting into and completing a treatment program are not often publicly discussed. Public stigma further compounds the problems of a system that is alarmingly overburdened. Health insurance policies often do not cover treatment of alcohol or drug dependency; and, when they do, coverage is not always adequate.
In Wisconsin, more than 120,000 people are currently unable to gain access to treatment for alcohol or drug dependence. To family and friends trying to help a loved one, the many obstacles standing in their way can seem insurmountable. With appointment wait times often approaching three weeks or longer and costs of care becoming prohibitively expensive, only one in four people with alcohol or drug addiction is able to get treatment.
In Congress, I'm working to address the problem in several ways. I have re-introduced the Health Security for All Americans Act. This legislation would provide health care for all Americans by encouraging the States to expand coverage through various methods of their own choosing and providing them with the funds to do so. Equally important, the legislation sets standards for the level of coverage and includes parity for mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits. This means that no limitations or financial requirements could be imposed on the treatment of mental illness or substance abuse that are not also imposed on other medical and surgical benefits.
I'm pleased to report that exciting work is being done on this issue in my home State of Wisconsin. Last year, the University of Wisconsin--Madison, along with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, launched a national program to help treatment providers find innovative ways to meet their many challenges. The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment, or NIATx, works with providers who are trying to treat more people with fewer resources. The 29 participating organizations are applying business and quality improvement principles to reduce wait times to get into treatment and the number of no-shows for treatment while increasing admissions to treatment and the number of those continuing in treatment.
NIATx agencies experienced dramatic improvements in access to treatment and retention, proving that significant change may be a lot simpler, less time consuming, and less costly than is often presumed. They're also developing new ideas and tools to share with the rest of the treatment field.
As we celebrate National Recovery Month throughout September, it's important to recognize and salute the dedicated and determined addiction treatment providers, as well as and the brave and committed individuals who are recovering. I look forward to continuing my work with my colleagues, especially.those who are members of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus, in ensuring that all Americans have access to timely and affordable addiction treatment.
http://thomas.loc.gov