Ayotte Recognized for Commitment to Fighting NH's Opioid Abuse Crisis

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte was recognized on Tuesday by the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose for her continued work in the fight against New Hampshire's opioid abuse crisis.

"I'm honored to be recognized today by the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose, and I want to thank them for their tireless advocacy in the fight to end this crisis that is affecting too many people in New Hampshire," said Ayotte. "We have to continue to press to make sure that individuals struggling with substance use disorders are supported when they seek out treatment, and part of that work includes removing the stigma associated with addiction. I have made it my priority in the Senate to co-author and get signed into law bipartisan legislation that serves as an evidence-based, comprehensive response to this epidemic, as well as to fight for funding to support these policies. I will also continue to strongly support emergency funding so that resources can be more quickly delivered to those on the front lines in New Hampshire, as well as urge greater compliance with, and enforcement of, the mental health and substance use disorder parity law."

"We want to recognize the considerable effort undertaken by Members of Congress, and Senator Ayotte in particular, to address the opioid misuse and overdose epidemic," said R. Corey Waller, MD, DFASAM, Chair of the American Society of Addiction Medicine's Legislative Advocacy Committee. "As a Coalition, we remain committed to carrying this work forward to help communities in desperate need of a solution to this public health crisis."

The Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose is recognizing members of Congress for their work to introduce legislation to combat the prescription opioid abuse and heroin crisis. Senator Ayotte has been a leader in this fight, and is a co-author and original cosponsor of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which was signed into law in July 2016. This week, Ayotte also welcomed the announcement that the President declared September 18-24, 2016 as Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week.

In addition, Ayotte has asked appropriators for, and voted in support of, increases in funding through the regular appropriations process for the evidence-based initiatives called for under CARA. She also supported emergency and supplemental funding for opioid abuse programs, and sent a letter at the beginning of September to appropriators urging them to fully fund CARA in the continuing resolution and reiterating her support for additional emergency funding. Ayotte also supports a measure from Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) that would add $600 million additional emergency funding on top of the normal appropriations process.

Ayotte has previously called for insurance companies to comply with, and the federal government to more effectively enforce, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which requires that insurance providers cover mental health and substance use disorder benefits in the same manner as medical and surgical benefits.

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