WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), along with U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), on Wednesday introduced a bipartisan resolution to officially recognize September as “National Recovery Month” to help publicize treatment options and increase understanding of mental illness and substance use disorders. Officially started in 1989, National Recovery Month is supported by more than 200 nonprofit organizations and local, state and federal government entities. The United States is in the midst of a heroin and opioid epidemic wreaking havoc on local communities and devastating families.
“As addiction continues to devastate communities and families throughout West Virginia, we must raise awareness of the available treatment and recovery measures. By introducing the National Recovery Month resolution, I am hopeful that more people will become educated about treatment options. This is a critical component of the spectrum of solutions needed to save lives and fight back against the scourge of addiction,” said Senator Capito.
“I’ve seen in Connecticut how addiction can wreck lives and rip families apart. But just as importantly, I’ve seen how effective treatment and recovery programs, with the support of friends and loved ones, can help put the pieces back together,” said Senator Murphy. “We introduced this bipartisan resolution to officially recognize National Recovery Month because increasing awareness is crucial. The more people who know about resources available to help them, the more lives will be saved. Go to RecoveryMonth.gov to learn more.”
“There’s a battle underway in our country – being fought state by state, county by county, and doctor’s office by doctor’s office – to help Americans suffering from addiction to prescription opioids and other drugs,” said Senator Alexander. “This summer, Congress passed legislation to give Tennessee and other states a substantial federal boost in the fight against the growing opioid epidemic – which claims more than 1,000 Tennessee lives each year. And, this fall, I expect the Senate to pass the Senate health committee’s bipartisan mental health and substance abuse legislation to continue our work supporting those on the front lines of helping Americans with substance use disorders.”
“This resolution represents a shared commitment toward solving the many challenges that patients and families face when they seek care for substance use disorder and mental illness,” said Senator Murray. “As I travel throughout my home state of Washington, I’ve talked to family after family who has been especially impacted by addiction—mothers, fathers, seniors, and young people—with such tragic stories. I’m proud to be working alongside Senator Murphy and others, on both sides of the aisle, to push for bipartisan action on these issues and to renew our commitment to providing the support, care, and treatment that so many people across the country desperately need.”
The full text of the resolution is available online.
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