Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research

Expanding Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: Pathways, Barriers, and Policy Solutions

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Expanding Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: Pathways, Barriers, and Policy Solutions

Thursday, June 4 | 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
This event has concluded.

About the Event

Despite decades of evidence supporting medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), significant barriers continue to limit access for millions of Americans — with rural residents being the least likely to receive these medications. Regulatory constraints, financing structures, and workforce gaps have left many individuals without evidence-based treatment options. These barriers exist for all three approved medications for opioid use disorder but are especially challenging for methadone treatment.

This briefing explored policy options for increasing access to MOUD, with particular attention to methadone reform, mobile medication units, and the role of private investment. The session convened researchers, clinicians, and policy experts to identify actionable federal and state strategies for scaling evidence-based treatment.

The event was held in collaboration with the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus.

Opening Remarks:

Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY), Co-Chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus

Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI)

Moderator: 

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, Dean of the School of Public Health, Professor of Epidemiology, and Professor of Emergency Medicine 

Panelists: 

Dr. Michael Barnett, Sorensen Family Provost’s Professor, Health Services, Policy, and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health

Brendan Saloner, PhD, Donald G. Millar Distinguished Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies and Associate Director of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Brown University School of Public Health 

Yashaswini Singh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at the Brown University School of Public Health 

Jared Perkins, Dr. Michael Barnett, Brendan Saloner, Dr. Yashaswini Singh, and Dr. Francesca Beaudoin stand in a row beside a wooden podium marked with the U.S. House of Representatives seal, smiling for a group photo.
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From left: Jared Perkins, Director of Health Policy Strategy at CAHPR; Dr. Michael Barnett, Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice; Brendan Saloner, PhD, Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies; Dr. Yashaswini Singh, Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice; and Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, Dean, Brown University School of Public Health

Dr. Francesca Beaudoin in a tan blazer and blue top stands at a podium bearing the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus "HOPE" logo, speaking to a seated audience. A large screen behind her displays the title slide "Expanding Access to Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: Pathways, Barriers, and Policy Solutions," from the Brown University School of Public Health.
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Dr. Francesca Beaudoin, Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, opens the briefing at the Rayburn House Office Building.

A wide view of a congressional hearing room with an audience of roughly forty people seated in rows facing a speaker at a podium. American flags flank a screen showing the event's red title slide, in an ornate room with a blue patterned carpet and gold-trimmed ceiling.
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Attendees at the Rayburn House Office Building for the briefing on expanding access to medications for opioid use disorder.

For questions, please contact cahpr@brown.edu or Jared Perkins, Director of Health Policy Strategy at the Center for Advancing Health Policy through Research, at jared_perkins@brown.edu.