II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2609 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants for State alcohol 

and drug agencies to use recovery coaches in hospital emergency departments, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 22, 2018 

Mr. MURPHY (for himself and Mrs. CAPITO) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide grants 

for State alcohol and drug agencies to use recovery 

coaches in hospital emergency departments, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recovery Coaches 

5 Offer Addiction Counseling and Healing Act’’ or the ‘‘Re6 covery COACH Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GRANTS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO RECOVERY COACH2 ES. 

3 Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

5 end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 550. GRANTS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO RECOVERY 

7 COACHES. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) RECOVERY COACHES.—The term ‘recovery 

10 coach’ means a person eligible to serve as a recovery 

11 coach under subsection (e)(2) that provides recovery 

12 coach services. 

13 ‘‘(2) RECOVERY COACH SERVICES.—The term 

14 ‘recovery coach services’ includes the following ac15 tivities provided by a recovery coach in a hospital 

16 emergency department: 

17 ‘‘(A) Connecting patients in hospital emer18 gency departments who have been identified as 

19 having a substance use disorder with substance 

20 use disorder treatment and other recovery sup21 port services. 

22 ‘‘(B) Serving as a role model for recovery 

23 from substance use disorders for hospital staff 

24 and such patients. 

25 ‘‘(C) Providing hope and encouragement to 

26 such patients. 


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1 ‘‘(D) Providing education on overdose pre2 vention to such patients. 

3 ‘‘(E) Linking family members of such pa4 tients to recovery support resources. 

5 ‘‘(F) Following up with such patients for a 

6 minimum of 14 days following discharge from 

7 the hospital emergency department to ensure 

8 continued connection to recovery support serv9 ices. 

10 ‘‘(3) RECOVERY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.— 

11 The term ‘recovery community organization’ has the 

12 meaning given such term in section 547(a). 

13 ‘‘(4) STATE ALCOHOL AND DRUG AGENCY.— 

14 The term ‘State alcohol and drug agency’ means the 

15 principal agency of a State that is responsible for 

16 carrying out the block grant for prevention and 

17 treatment of substance abuse under subpart II of 

18 part B of title XIX within the State. 

19 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Secretary, acting through the 

20 Assistant Secretary for Substance Use and Mental Health, 

21 shall award grants to State alcohol and drug agencies for 

22 the purpose of— 

23 ‘‘(1) developing, expanding, and enhancing the 

24 use of recovery coaches to perform recovery coach 


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1 services in hospital emergency departments through 

2 a recovery community organization; and 

3 ‘‘(2) supporting recovery community organiza4 tions to recruit, train, hire, mentor, and supervise 

5 recovery coaches to perform recovery coach services 

6 in hospital emergency departments. 

7 ‘‘(c) PERIOD OF GRANTS.—Each grant awarded 

8 under this section shall be awarded for a period of 3 years. 

9 ‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State alcohol and drug 

11 agency seeking a grant under this section shall sub12 mit an application to the Secretary, in such form 

13 and manner as specified by the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

15 under this subsection shall include each of the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(A) A description of the ability of the ap18 plicant to partner with an appropriate recovery 

19 community organization to carry out the grant 

20 activities. 

21 ‘‘(B) A plan the applicant will use to 

22 evaluate the success of recovery coaches funded 

23 through the grant. 

24 ‘‘(C) A description of the need of the appli25 cant for recovery coaches. 


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1 ‘‘(D) Evidence of local support for recovery 

2 coaches. 

3 ‘‘(E) A plan for sustaining the use of re4 covery coaches in hospital emergency depart5 ments after the termination of the grant period. 

6 ‘‘(F) Information on the source and 

7 amount of non-Federal funds that the applicant 

8 will provide for recovery coaches. 

9 ‘‘(e) USE OF GRANTS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each grant awarded under 

11 this section shall be used only for the purpose de12 scribed in subsection (b). 

13 ‘‘(2) RECOVERY COACH ELIGIBILITY CRI14 TERIA.—Each recovery coach performing recovery 

15 coach services through a grant under this section 

16 shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) have knowledge of or experience with 

18 recovery from a substance use disorder; and 

19 ‘‘(B) have completed training from and be 

20 vetted by a recovery community organization 

21 that has knowledge and skills necessary to con22 duct such training and vetting. 

23 ‘‘(3) HOSPITAL EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT SET24 TINGS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Recovery coach serv2 ices provided through a grant under this section 

3 shall be provided only in hospital emergency de4 partments, and not in any other setting. 

5 ‘‘(B) MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT.—A 

6 memorandum of agreement shall be signed by 

7 the recovery community organization and each 

8 hospital that the recovery community organiza9 tion will support. 

10 ‘‘(4) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—A State al11 cohol and drug agency receiving a grant under this 

12 section shall ensure that recovery coach services are 

13 prioritized at those hospitals across the State in 

14 rural, urban, and suburban areas most affected by 

15 the use of heroin or other opioids or substances of 

16 abuse. 

17 ‘‘(5) REQUIREMENTS.—A State alcohol and 

18 drug agency receiving a grant under this section 

19 shall ensure that any recovery community organiza20 tion receiving funding through such grant— 

21 ‘‘(A) is a member of the Association of Re22 covery Community Organizations or accredited 

23 by the Council on Accreditation of Peer Recov24 ery Support Services; or 


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1 ‘‘(B) has a long standing, collaborative re2 lationship with the State alcohol and drug agen3 cy. 

4 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall direct 

6 the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and 

7 Quality to evaluate the effectiveness of recovery 

8 coaches serving in hospital emergency departments 

9 through a grant under this section. Each State alco10 hol and drug agency receiving a grant under this 

11 section shall provide the Center with aggregate data 

12 and other information determined necessary by the 

13 Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An evaluation under this 

15 subsection shall include— 

16 ‘‘(A) the number of times recovery coaches 

17 are called in States served by a grant under 

18 this section; 

19 ‘‘(B) the utilization of substance use dis20 order services through recovery coaches funded 

21 under this section; 

22 ‘‘(C) the number of individuals admitted, 

23 as a result of substance use disorders, to hos24 pital emergency departments in States served 

25 by a grant under this section; 


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1 ‘‘(D) the number of individuals who re2 turn, as a result of substance use disorders, to 

3 hospital emergency departments in such States; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(E) the likelihood of patients entering 

6 treatment programs in such States. 

7 ‘‘(3) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 2 years 

8 after the date on which amounts are first appro9 priated for the grants under this section, the Sec10 retary shall submit a report on the evaluation under 

11 this subsection to Congress. 

12 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

14 necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

Æ 


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