(Keene, NH) – Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) visited the new Serenity recovery center location, where she met with staff and residents in recovery and toured the facility. Later, she toured Maps Counseling Services and met with clinicians. These visits are part of Kuster’s listening tour of health and recovery providers in New Hampshire’s second congressional district, which she kicked off in February. As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, Kuster will highlight the perspective of families and individuals in New Hampshire as she works to lower costs and increase access to healthcare. This week, the full committee advanced her legislation, the Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act (HR 986). This legislation would revoke Section 1332 guidance released by the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on October 22, 2018, which weakened protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions.

“It was wonderful to hear from the residents and staff of Serenity and Maps about their work to support people in recovery and provide wellness services,” said Kuster. “Their stories and insights illustrate how important it is for everyone to be able to obtain the healthcare they need, whether it be for substance abuse, mental health or another medical issue. I look forward to sharing their perspectives with my colleagues as we continue our efforts to improve access to affordable healthcare.”

Serenity Center moved to its current location in Keene earlier this year. The Center is a “spoke” in New Hampshire’s Hub and Spoke system to help people struggling with drug addiction. It works closely with Cheshire Medical Center, which is a “hub,” and community partners to coordinate care and services for those in recovery in the Monadnock region. Maps moved to its current location in Keene in June 2018 and is the largest independent provider of outpatient psychotherapy in the Monadnock Region.

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