Title: Recovery COACH Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Recovery Coaches Offer Addiction Counseling and Healing Act or the Recovery COACH Act
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award three-year grants to state alcohol and drug agencies for: (1) developing, expanding, and enhancing the use of recovery coaches in hospital emergency departments through a recovery community organization; and (2) supporting recovery community organizations that recruit, train, and supervise recovery coaches for hospital emergency departments. A recovery coach refers to a person who has knowledge of or experience with recovery from a substance use disorder and has completed training from a recovery community organization.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2609 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Recovery Coaches Offer Addiction 
Counseling and Healing Act'' or the ``Recovery COACH Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO RECOVERY COACHES.

    Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 550. GRANTS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO RECOVERY COACHES.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Recovery coaches.--The term `recovery coach' means a 
        person eligible to serve as a recovery coach under subsection 
        (e)(2) that provides recovery coach services.
            ``(2) Recovery coach services.--The term `recovery coach 
        services' includes the following activities provided by a 
        recovery coach in a hospital emergency department:
                    ``(A) Connecting patients in hospital emergency 
                departments who have been identified as having a 
                substance use disorder with substance use disorder 
                treatment and other recovery support services.
                    ``(B) Serving as a role model for recovery from 
                substance use disorders for hospital staff and such 
                patients.
                    ``(C) Providing hope and encouragement to such 
                patients.
                    ``(D) Providing education on overdose prevention to 
                such patients.
                    ``(E) Linking family members of such patients to 
                recovery support resources.
                    ``(F) Following up with such patients for a minimum 
                of 14 days following discharge from the hospital 
                emergency department to ensure continued connection to 
                recovery support services.
            ``(3) Recovery community organization.--The term `recovery 
        community organization' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 547(a).
            ``(4) State alcohol and drug agency.--The term `State 
        alcohol and drug agency' means the principal agency of a State 
        that is responsible for carrying out the block grant for 
        prevention and treatment of substance abuse under subpart II of 
        part B of title XIX within the State.
    ``(b) Grants.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary for Substance Use and Mental Health, shall award grants to 
State alcohol and drug agencies for the purpose of--
            ``(1) developing, expanding, and enhancing the use of 
        recovery coaches to perform recovery coach services in hospital 
        emergency departments through a recovery community 
        organization; and
            ``(2) supporting recovery community organizations to 
        recruit, train, hire, mentor, and supervise recovery coaches to 
        perform recovery coach services in hospital emergency 
        departments.
    ``(c) Period of Grants.--Each grant awarded under this section 
shall be awarded for a period of 3 years.
    ``(d) Applications.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State alcohol and drug agency seeking 
        a grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
        Secretary, in such form and manner as specified by the 
        Secretary.
            ``(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under this 
        subsection shall include each of the following:
                    ``(A) A description of the ability of the applicant 
                to partner with an appropriate recovery community 
                organization to carry out the grant activities.
                    ``(B) A plan the applicant will use to evaluate the 
                success of recovery coaches funded through the grant.
                    ``(C) A description of the need of the applicant 
                for recovery coaches.
                    ``(D) Evidence of local support for recovery 
                coaches.
                    ``(E) A plan for sustaining the use of recovery 
                coaches in hospital emergency departments after the 
                termination of the grant period.
                    ``(F) Information on the source and amount of non-
                Federal funds that the applicant will provide for 
                recovery coaches.
    ``(e) Use of Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each grant awarded under this section 
        shall be used only for the purpose described in subsection (b).
            ``(2) Recovery coach eligibility criteria.--Each recovery 
        coach performing recovery coach services through a grant under 
        this section shall--
                    ``(A) have knowledge of or experience with recovery 
                from a substance use disorder; and
                    ``(B) have completed training from and be vetted by 
                a recovery community organization that has knowledge 
                and skills necessary to conduct such training and 
                vetting.
            ``(3) Hospital emergency department settings.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Recovery coach services provided 
                through a grant under this section shall be provided 
                only in hospital emergency departments, and not in any 
                other setting.
                    ``(B) Memorandum of agreement.--A memorandum of 
                agreement shall be signed by the recovery community 
                organization and each hospital that the recovery 
                community organization will support.
            ``(4) Geographic distribution.--A State alcohol and drug 
        agency receiving a grant under this section shall ensure that 
        recovery coach services are prioritized at those hospitals 
        across the State in rural, urban, and suburban areas most 
        affected by the use of heroin or other opioids or substances of 
        abuse.
            ``(5) Requirements.--A State alcohol and drug agency 
        receiving a grant under this section shall ensure that any 
        recovery community organization receiving funding through such 
        grant--
                    ``(A) is a member of the Association of Recovery 
                Community Organizations or accredited by the Council on 
                Accreditation of Peer Recovery Support Services; or
                    ``(B) has a long standing, collaborative 
                relationship with the State alcohol and drug agency.
    ``(f) Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall direct the Center 
        for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality to evaluate the 
        effectiveness of recovery coaches serving in hospital emergency 
        departments through a grant under this section. Each State 
        alcohol and drug agency receiving a grant under this section 
        shall provide the Center with aggregate data and other 
        information determined necessary by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Contents.--An evaluation under this subsection shall 
        include--
                    ``(A) the number of times recovery coaches are 
                called in States served by a grant under this section;
                    ``(B) the utilization of substance use disorder 
                services through recovery coaches funded under this 
                section;
                    ``(C) the number of individuals admitted, as a 
                result of substance use disorders, to hospital 
                emergency departments in States served by a grant under 
                this section;
                    ``(D) the number of individuals who return, as a 
                result of substance use disorders, to hospital 
                emergency departments in such States; and
                    ``(E) the likelihood of patients entering treatment 
                programs in such States.
            ``(3) Submission.--Not later than 2 years after the date on 
        which amounts are first appropriated for the grants under this 
        section, the Secretary shall submit a report on the evaluation 
        under this subsection to Congress.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
section.''.
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