On Monday, March 20, NASADAD responded to a stakeholder request for information from the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on potential legislative solutions to alleviate the health care workforce shortage.
NASADAD’s response underscored the importance of working with the State alcohol and drug agency to ensure a coordinated approach across all levels of government. Additionally, our recommendations to strengthen federal workforce initiatives included:
- Amend current statute to make clear that States may allocate Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services (SUPTRS) Block Grant funds to support certain substance use disorder workforce initiatives;
- Establish a discretionary grant in SAMHSA/CSAP to bolster the substance use disorder prevention workforce;
- Reinstate SAMHSA/CSAT’s Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute (WASLI);
- The importance of a report to be developed by the SAMHSA/CSAP on the state of substance use disorder prevention workforce; and
- Continue to support the SAMHSA/CSAP Fellowship program.