Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Annie Kuster, David Trone and Jaime Herrera Beutler, co-chairs of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, hosted the first roundtable entitled “Dual Crisis: COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorder.”
“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force as co-chair and finding bipartisan, constructive solutions to one of our nation’s most pressing issues: addiction and mental health,” Fitzpatrick said. “We must push for sufficient Medicaid funding, responsible care provided by states and counties, enforcement of mental health parity by insurance companies and supportive housing and other resources for those struggling to care for themselves. These are all essential in addressing the gaps in care.”
The Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force merges the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, which was co-chaired by Fitzpatrick and Kuster in the 116th Congress and founded by Kuster in 2015, and Trone’s Freshmen Working Group on Addiction.
The task force aims to make the most progress possible on addiction and mental health by combining efforts in the 117th Congress. These dual public health crises that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic will be addressed in the forthcoming 2021 legislative agenda. The group will create policies that will save lives, host regular meetings with stakeholders and attend site visits.
