Berlin, N.H. — Today, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) visited White Horse Recovery Center in Berlin, New Hampshire to discuss the substance use disorder epidemic and highlight her work to expand access to treatment and recovery services in rural communities. White Horse Recovery Center offers comprehensive substance use disorder programs and mental health services for adults and families.

“The addiction and mental health crisis has touched every community across New Hampshire, and White Horse Recovery Center is doing incredible work to support Granite Staters throughout the North Country on their path to recovery,” said Kuster. “In partnership with organizations like White Horse, New Hampshire has made progress in tackling the addiction and mental health epidemic, but more work remains to ensure every person has access to the support and resources they need to heal, recover, and thrive, regardless of where they live.” 

Kuster is the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, a coalition of more than 140 Democratic and Republican lawmakers committed to combating the growing opioid, substance use disorder, and mental health crises. She has made expanding access to treatment and recovery services a central focus during her time in Congress and has championed legislation to empower communities with support and resources to address the mental health and substance use disorder epidemics at the local level, including:

• The Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization (SUPPORT) Act, bipartisan legislation to equip communities with the tools to address substance use disorder at the local level;
• The Rehabilitation and Recovery During Incarceration Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy and provide Medicaid coverage to people incarcerated in public institutions seeking mental health and substance use services;
• The Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act, bipartisan legislation that would create 1,000 additional Medicare residency positions over five years in hospitals with addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain management programs; and
• The Mental Health and Making Access More Affordable (MAMA) Act, legislation that would require commercial and governmental health insurance plans that offer services related to mental health and substance use disorders to offer these, with no co-pay from the onset of regular pregnancy care through one-year postpartum.

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