S-2121 : Still Just a Bill

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025, designated as S.2121, aims to combat the opioid crisis by reauthorizing and modifying several key programs. The bill is structured around four main titles:

• Prevention: Reauthorizes programs focused on prenatal and postnatal health, monitoring infections associated with drug use, preventing overdoses, supporting individuals affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), promoting state choice in prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and providing first responder training. It also addresses child traumatic stress, suicide prevention, and at-home drug disposal systems.
• Treatment: Reauthorizes programs supporting residential treatment for pregnant and postpartum women, improves access to addiction medicine providers, provides mental and behavioral health education and training grants, and establishes loan repayment programs for the substance use disorder treatment workforce.
• Recovery: Reauthorizes programs focused on building communities of recovery, peer support technical assistance, comprehensive opioid recovery centers, and youth prevention and recovery initiatives. It also includes provisions to address the economic and workforce impacts of the opioid crisis through the CAREER Act.
• Miscellaneous Matters: Includes provisions related to the delivery of controlled substances by pharmacies to practitioners and requires training for prescribers of controlled substances.

Key changes include increased funding for various programs, expansion of the Donald J. Cohen National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, measures to protect the suicide prevention lifeline from cybersecurity incidents, and enhanced efforts to address fentanyl contamination of illegal drugs. The bill also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review and assess opioid analgesic drugs and take steps to support the development of non-addictive pain management products.