American Addiction Centers Praises Federal Legislation to Combat Opioid Epidemic

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Oct. 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AAC Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAC), a national leader in addiction treatment and rehabilitation, applauds House and Senate leaders for reaching an agreement on legislation that would address the national opioid crisis and the larger addiction epidemic in America.

With overdose deaths involving prescription opioids rising to five times higher in 2016 than in 1999, it has never been more pertinent to increase prevention, support research around disease of addiction and provide education of drug awareness at an early age.

The legislation, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (HR 6), overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate and will now be sent to the President's desk for his signature. This bill will boost access to addiction treatment and employ many other interventions to mitigate the epidemic, such as combating overprescription and increasing law enforcement efforts against illicit drugs.

"It's encouraging that Congress is paying more attention to addiction because it has never been more important to provide patients struggling with substance abuse issues with quality treatment options," said Michael Cartwright, chairman and CEO of American Addiction Centers. "We hope this is just the beginning of an industry-wide collaborative approach to ensure patients seeking help can get it. We also support smart regulation to end unethical marketing practices in the industry to protect patients looking for treatment online."

Among the many new programs and reforms, several provisions are recognized as significant by American Addiction Centers:

• Adds additional prescribers of medications for opioid addiction
• Allows federal agencies to pursue more research projects related to addiction and pain
• Advances new initiatives to educate and raise awareness about proper pain treatment among health care providers
• Increases access to inpatient substance use disorder treatment

About American Addiction Centers

American Addiction Centers is a leading provider of inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment services. We treat clients who are struggling with drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring mental/behavioral health issues. We currently operate substance abuse treatment facilities located throughout the United States. These facilities are focused on delivering effective clinical care and treatment solutions. For more information, please find us at AmericanAddictionCenters.org or follow us on Twitter.

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SOURCE American Addiction Centers

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