[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 185 (Wednesday, November 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Lujan, and Mr. 
        Cornyn):
  S. 3259. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize 
and expand technical assistance and support for recovery community 
organizations and peer support networks, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, today I rise to introduce the Peer 
Support Services Center of Excellence Act, a bipartisan bill that I 
have authored to help combat the vast and growing opioid epidemic. I 
want to acknowledge and thank Senator Shaheen for her leadership on 
this effort, and I look forward to continuing to work with her and 
others on this important legislation.
  Last year in Maine, 716 people died from a drug overdose--a record 
number. Tragically, this was the third consecutive year that Maine set 
a record for fatal overdoses. Nationwide, nearly 110,000 Americans were 
lost in 2022 to overdoses. It is clear that we need to take an all-of-
the-above approach to tackle this crisis. This includes support for 
education and prevention, treatment, law enforcement, and border 
security. No single focus will be enough on its own.
  One ongoing challenge to reducing the number of overdose deaths is 
that far too often individuals suffer an addiction relapse. Indeed, a 
nonfatal overdose is a leading predictor for a future fatal overdose. 
We must do more to address this reality. Between 40 and 60 percent of 
individuals in treatment for substance use disorders relapse, and this 
rate is often much higher for those struggling with opioid addiction. 
Relapse rates are high, but that does not mean relapse is inevitable.
  One way that individuals struggling with addiction are finding 
support is through peer recovery groups. In 2018, Senator Shaheen and I 
introduced the Opioid Peer Support Networks Act, much of which was 
enacted as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act that 
year. Our bill fostered the expansion of peer support networks through 
the creation of a National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance 
Center for Addiction Recovery Support. This center provides no-cost 
training and assistance to recovery community organizations, or RCOs, 
and peer support networks to integrate peer support workers into 
nontraditional settings, build and strengthen the capacity of RCOs, 
enhance the professionalism of peers through workforce development, as 
well as provide evidence-based and practice-based tool kits and 
resource information to stakeholders.
  This national center has enhanced the field of peer recovery support 
services. Through the center's work, in fiscal year 2022, nearly 2,000 
individuals were trained in how to support RCOs and peer support 
networks, and nearly 200 individuals were trained to provide 
specialized technical assistance, evaluate and improve the 
effectiveness of services provided by RCOs, and offer translation and 
interpretation services, data collection support, and capacity building 
expertise. This training is improving the services that are offered by 
organizations across our country, and the center has provided a 
platform for experts and recovery centers to learn from each other's 
experiences.
  In peer support networks, individuals and families battling addiction 
help one another stay firm on the road to recovery by assisting with 
employment, education, housing, health and overall well-being. I have 
visited the Bangor Area Recovery Network, or BARN, in Brewer, ME, which 
is a volunteer-led organization that provides support to individuals 
recovering from addiction. BARN is a model for peer-led counseling and 
brings hope, recovery support, and healing to those struggling with 
substance abuse. Individuals who are themselves in recovery can make 
that critical connection to others facing addiction, which, in turn, 
can make the recovery process sustainable and reduce the stigma of 
addiction and treatment.
  In recent years, in response to growing need and community efforts to 
expand recovery programming, Maine has seen the presence of RCOs like 
BARN grow across our State. As of January 2023, there were 19 recovery 
centers--from Sanford to Caribou--operated by people in recovery who 
are serving their local communities by offering peer-based support 
services, among other activities.
  After touring BARN and other similar organizations, I believe the 
emergence of peer-based and other recovery support services is one of 
the most significant trends in the addiction field. Peer-based recovery 
support services are unique in that they cover a wide range of 
activities not generally offered by treatment providers. This includes 
recovery coaching, support groups, sober social activities, as well as 
housing, transportation, and employment services. In offering services 
beyond treatment, this model provides the strong support system that is 
essential to recovery. As one of BARN's core beliefs tells us, ``A 
supportive community is vital to a successful recovery.''
  The Opioid Peer Support Networks Act brought critical training and 
assistance to these on-the-ground peer-to-peer networks and helped 
build up these important recovery support systems. Our new bill 
reauthorizes the National Peer-Run Training and Technical Assistance 
Center for Addiction Recovery Support that is set to expire, and it 
expands upon the work made possible by our bill that was enacted 5 
years ago. In addition to reauthorizing the center, our bill would 
create a pilot program for a regional center of excellence that could 
assist the national center and tailor its work to the needs of a 
particular region.
  We believe that the development of regional assistance programs, 
along with the continuation of a national center, will promote 
coordination and effectiveness of technical assistance delivery. 
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration, utilizing a regional model to grow the national 
center's reach may be an effective way to triage and distribute 
technical assistance requests and ensure that all entry points are 
coordinated centrally by retaining the National Center.
  Tackling the opioid epidemic, both its causes and consequences, 
requires a multi-pronged approach. The bipartisan bill I have 
introduced continues and builds upon one proven way to respond to this 
growing problem--supporting individuals in recovery through proven 
support systems.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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