FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
February 3, 2026
Making the Great American Recovery Initiative Work Through Evidence-Based Practices
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doctors for America (DFA) supports the Trump administration’s launch of the Great American Recovery Initiative and their commitment to helping end addiction. Addiction is a chronic medical condition and decades of research support evidence-based approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), contingency management (CM), and medications for treatment. Medication, counseling, and peer groups together can lead to long-lasting recovery for patients with substance use disorders. DFA urges that this initiative be grounded in science, equity and public health best practices to ensure that these policies translate into real-world positive impacts for patients and communities.
Doctors for America calls on President Trump, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery to convene panels of non-partisan, multidisciplinary experts and stakeholders in the field of addiction medicine for assistance in creating nation-wide, evidence-based interventions. These expert panels should include public health experts, physicians, researchers, community leaders, and people in recovery.
Americans continue to face significant structural barriers to accessing effective treatment for substance use disorders, including:
- Insufficient access to mental health services and treatment centers
- Strict regulations regarding who can prescribe medications for opioid use disorder
- Inadequate training of physicians, nurse, and ancillary supports on evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders
- Lack of resources – such as housing and transportation – to increase access to care for patients with substance use disorders
- Policies that favor law enforcement rather than medical care
- Stigma associated with substance use
DFA recommends the following evidence-based interventions:
- Expand funding for mental health professionals and addiction medicine physicians
- Improve access to telehealth services for treatment of substance use disorders
- Remove policies that promote overly strict regulation of methadone, buprenorphine, and other evidence-based medical treatment
- Increase harm reduction efforts including free syringe service programs, overdose prevention sites, and provision of free drug-checking test strips to decrease morbidity and mortality for patients with substance use disorders
- Partner with carceral institutions to connect individuals with substance use disorders to addiction providers on release from incarceration.
- Invest in workforce development and training programs for healthcare professionals.
- Combat stigma by reinforcing the disease model of addiction in all public-facing communication
Doctors for America affirms that addiction should be treated using the same chronic disease framework applied to conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. We call for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and federal agencies to together transform the Great American Recovery Initiative into actionable policy that prioritizes treatment over punishment. By reducing barriers and expanding access to proven therapies, this initiative has the potential to save lives and strengthen communities across the nation.
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About Doctors for America
Doctors for America (DFA) is a national nonprofit that mobilizes over 40,000 physicians and medical trainees to advocate for policies that improve the health of patients and communities. Through advocacy training and action at the state and federal levels, DFA works to expand access to affordable care, strengthen community health and prevention efforts, and advance health justice and equity. We do not accept funding from pharmaceutical, insurance, or for-profit health care entities, ensuring our work remains fiercely independent and patient-centered. DFA puts patients over politics—and over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and Bluesky drsforamerica.bsky.social.