WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Sept. 18 unanimously approved the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, extending a broad package of federal programs designed to combat substance use disorders, strengthen mental health supports and expand overdose prevention efforts.
The bill now heads to President Trump for his signature.
The House advanced the legislation in June with a bipartisan 366-57 vote. The measure renews initiatives that had expired in 2023, while also adding new tools to address the nation’s overdose crisis.
Programs reauthorized under the act include treatment for pregnant and postpartum women, prevention and recovery programs for youth, housing support for individuals in recovery and community-based recovery services. The law also continues loan repayment for health care providers treating substance use disorders, funding for overdose prevention, treatment for children experiencing psychological trauma and training in behavioral health for medical and allied health students.
In addition to reauthorizing existing programs, the bill creates a federal interagency working group to tackle fentanyl contamination in illicit drugs and expands resources for first responders to treat non-opioid overdoses. It also broadens employment and transportation support for people in recovery and strengthens cybersecurity protections for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Advocates, including the American Hospital Association and the National Association of Counties, have praised the legislation as critical for communities on the front lines of the addiction crisis.
Full text of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act is available here.
