115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5261 

AN ACT 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 

regional centers of excellence in substance use disorder 

education, 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, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Treatment, Education, 

3 and Community Help to Combat Addiction Act of 2018’’ 

4 or the ‘‘TEACH to Combat Addiction Act of 2018’’. 

5 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONAL CENTERS OF EX6 CELLENCE IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER 

7 EDUCATION. 

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

9 is amended by inserting after section 549 (42 U.S.C. 

10 290ee–4) the following new section: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 550. REGIONAL CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE IN SUB12 STANCE USE DISORDER EDUCATION. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

14 with such other agencies as are appropriate, shall, subject 

15 to the availability of appropriations, establish a solicitation 

16 process and award cooperative agreements to eligible enti17 ties for the designation of such entities as Regional Cen18 ters of Excellence in Substance Use Disorder Education 

19 and support of such regional centers of excellence to en20 hance and improve how health professionals are educated 

21 in substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and re22 covery through development, evaluation, and distribution 

23 of evidence-based curricula for health profession schools. 

24 An eligible entity designated by the Secretary as a Re25 gional Center of Excellence in Substance Use Disorder 
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1 Education shall carry out the activities described in sub2 section (b). 

3 ‘‘(b) SELECTION OF CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.— 

4 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to re5 ceive a cooperative agreement under subsection (a), 

6 an entity shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) be an entity specified by the Sec8 retary that offers education to students in var9 ious health professions, which may include— 

10 ‘‘(i) a health system; 

11 ‘‘(ii) a teaching hospital; 

12 ‘‘(iii) a medical school; 

13 ‘‘(iv) a certified behavioral health clin14 ic; or 

15 ‘‘(v) any other health profession 

16 school, school of public health, or Coopera17 tive Extension Program at institutions of 

18 higher education engaged in an aspect of 

19 the prevention, treatment, or recovery of 

20 substance use disorders; 

21 ‘‘(B) be accredited by the appropriate edu22 cational accreditation body; 

23 ‘‘(C) demonstrate an existing strategy, and 

24 have in place a plan for continuing such strat25 egy, or a proposed strategy to implement a cur-
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1 riculum based on best practices for substance 

2 use disorder prevention, treatment, and recov3 ery; 

4 ‘‘(D) demonstrate community engagement 

5 and participation through community partners, 

6 including other health profession schools, men7 tal health counselors, social workers, peer recov8 ery specialists, substance use treatment pro9 grams, community health centers, physicians’ 

10 offices, certified behavioral health clinics, law 

11 enforcement, and the business community; and 

12 ‘‘(E) provide to the Secretary such infor13 mation, at such time, and in such manner, as 

14 the Secretary may require. 

15 ‘‘(2) DIVERSITY.—In awarding cooperative 

16 agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

17 take into account regional differences among eligible 

18 entities and shall make an effort to ensure geo19 graphic diversity. 

20 ‘‘(c) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.— 

21 ‘‘(1) PUBLIC POSTING.—The Secretary shall 

22 make information provided to the Secretary under 

23 subsection (b)(1)(E) publically available on the 

24 Internet website of the Department of Health and 

25 Human Services. 
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1 ‘‘(2) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall evalu2 ate each project carried out by a Regional Center of 

3 Excellence in Substance Use Disorder Education 

4 under this section and shall disseminate the findings 

5 with respect to each such evaluation to appropriate 

6 public and private entities. 

7 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be appro8 priated to carry out this section, $4,000,000 for each of 

9 fiscal years 2019 through 2023.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives June 12, 2018. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5261 

AN ACT 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide 

disorder education, and for other purposes. for regional centers of excellence in substance use