The AOA and the American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine (AOAAM), recently sent a letter to Congress supporting the recently introduced Substance Use Disorder Workforce Act (H.R. 7050). This legislation aims to establish 1,000 new Medicare-supported residency positions in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry or pain medicine over five years, enhancing patient access to specialized care.
The letter states that in 2022, nearly 110,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, with the number of overdose deaths continuing to increase year over year. Medical schools, teaching health systems and hospitals across the country are actively working to train physicians to treat addiction and create a more comprehensive response to substance use disorders, but the workforce lags behind the significant demand for these specialized clinicians. The AOA is dedicated to expanding the health care workforce capable of tackling the substance use disorder (SUD) epidemic.