San Clemente, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/30/2016 --A temporary government funding bill passed by Congress on September 28 features a provision to fund opioid addiction treatment programs created by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The bill, which prevents a government shutdown and funds the federal government through December 8, includes $7 million for CARA. While this funding falls fall short of the original $1.1 billion that the Obama administration requested, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers sees this as a good sign that Congress will continue to fund CARA when it lays out next year's budget.

Sovereign Health, a leading national provider of behavioral health treatment services, is pleased to share, “CARA’s passage triggers debate over additional funding.” As noted in the editorial, although the bill allocates over $180 million annually to combat the opioid trade epidemic, which is more than double the authorization level in the Senate-passed bill, CARA may not necessarily deliver on everything it promises. Sovereign Health previously published the piece, “State of Addiction Policy: The development of CARA,” which took a look at the federal resources that are focused on evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery programs that have been tested and proven effective in local communities.

A SlideShare presentation, “Explaining CARA (the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act),” created by Sovereign Health, also provides education on the topic. CARA provides assisted addiction treatment for pregnant and postpartum women, veterans and youth. The act also provides medication-assisted treatment options for those who qualify and expands the number of health care professionals who may prescribe those medications.

About Sovereign Health
Sovereign Health’s mission is to provide a broad spectrum of high-quality behavioral health treatment services for adults and adolescents, including support services for family members. One factor that differentiates Sovereign from other treatment providers has been the company’s ability to offer separate mental health and addiction or dual diagnosis treatment programs at its facilities.

For more information, visit www.sovhealth.com.

Media Contact:
Wendy Allen, Public Relations Manager: 866-948-9688