(NASHVILLE) — Monday evening, Republican lawmakers unanimously supported passage of an initiative sponsored by State Representative Michael Curcio (R-Dickson) designed to improve the quality of care for Tennesseans battling addiction.
As part of the ongoing efforts of House Republicans to address Tennessee’s opioid and drug crisis, House Bill 1929 — known as the Stopping Addiction & Fostering Excellence (SAFE) Act — ensures that patients who utilize recovery houses receive high-quality care that empowers them to overcome their battles with addiction.
The SAFE Act enables providers at these facilities to focus their efforts on implementing more customized and targeted treatment plans for patients. Additionally, House Bill 1929 streamlines operational guidelines while strengthening partnerships between the facility and its local municipality.
Tennessee’s opioid epidemic claimed the lives of more than 1,600 Tennesseans in 2016 alone. Each day in our state, at least three people die from opioid-related overdoses. This is more than Tennessee’s daily number of traffic fatalities.
As Vice-Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee, Representative Curcio has been instrumental in the Republican-led efforts to address this paramount issue. Their overall goal is to keep more of our state’s citizens moving along a pathway away from dependency towards complete recovery.
“Our state is facing an unprecedented drug and opioid crisis that is crippling communities across our state,” said Representative Curcio. “House Bill 1929 creates an additional tool to assist them in their efforts so that they can end the cycle of addiction. It also ensures that those who utilize these facilities receive the best possible care.”
House Bill 1929 does not impact facilities associated with the Department of Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (DIDD). For additional information about this initiative, please click here.
Michael Curcio serves as Vice-Chairman of the House Criminal Justice Committee. He is also a member of the House Insurance & Banking Committee, as well as the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. Curcio lives in Dickson and Represents House District 69, which includes Hickman County, as well as parts of Dickson and Maury Counties. He can be reached by email at: [email protected] or by calling (615) 741-3513.
