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How Policy and Advocacy Shape Substance Use Treatment and Prevention

Marya Arzi

How Policy and Advocacy Shape Substance Use Treatment and Prevention

Substance use treatment and prevention in the United States are influenced by policy and advocacy. These two elements work together to determine how services get funded, who has access to them, and how they are provided. Without effective policies and advocates, many people with substance use disorders (SUDs) would struggle even more to find help.

Funding and Services  

Government policies at the federal, state, and local levels play an important role in establishing funding sources, setting care standards, and increasing access to treatment and prevention programs. For example, State Opioid Response (SOR) grants give money directly to states to support various services, including medication-assisted treatment, overdose prevention, and recovery support programs1. These grants have helped distribute hundreds of thousands of naloxone kits, saving many lives.

Other policies, such as the Support for Patients and Communities Act passed in 2018, tackle barriers to care2. This bipartisan law expanded access to substance use treatment through Medicaid and Medicare, making it easier for residential treatment centers to receive federal funding. It also requires all state Children’s Health Insurance Programs to cover mental health and substance use services for children and pregnant women, ensuring fair access to care.3

Expanding Prevention Efforts  

Policy also shapes prevention strategies by funding education, outreach, and early intervention programs. Federal block grants, like the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, let states invest in prevention efforts that match their communities’ needs.4 These policies support school programs, community awareness campaigns, and initiatives that aim to reduce risks for youth and vulnerable populations.

Advocacy: The Voice for Change  

While policy sets the groundwork, advocacy drives those policies. Advocacy groups, made up of families, healthcare professionals, and community leaders, work to raise awareness and push for changes in laws and regulations. They engage with lawmakers, showing them the real impact of substance use and the urgent need for comprehensive solutions.

For example, strong advocacy from mental health and substance use organizations led to the creation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022. This policy change established a simple, nationwide number for individuals in crisis to reach trained counselors for support with suicide prevention and substance use and mental health crises.

The Future of Advocacy

As substance use issues continue to evolve, ongoing advocacy will be crucial in ensuring that policies adapt to new challenges, such as the increase in fentanyl-related overdoses and the need for culturally sensitive care. To create communities that are free from preventable overdoses, collective action is essential. Incorporating Zero Overdose Safety Planning into primary prevention strategies will support these efforts. By equipping healthcare professionals and community members with the knowledge to implement a Zero Overdose Safety Plan for those in need, we can take significant steps toward reducing overdose incidents. 

  1. Impact of State Targeted Response & State Opioid Response Grants. (2022). https://nasadad.org/opioid-state-targeted-response-map ↩︎
  2. SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act 115th Congress (2017 … (2018). https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6 ↩︎
  3. Topic: CHIP – MACPAC. (2024). https://www.macpac.gov/topic/chip/ ↩︎
  4. Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant. (n.d.). https://nasadad.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/SAPT-Block-Grant-Fact-Sheet-Feb.-2021-FINAL.pdf
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Project Director

Kelly Samuelson, LADC, MSW Candidate

Kelly Samuelson is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) candidate with extensive experience in substance use disorder treatment, trauma-informed care, and program development. She specializes in delivering evidence-based training programs, facilitating workshops, and collaborating with healthcare and community organizations to improve care systems and enhance service delivery.

In addition to her clinical work, Kelly plays a key role in writing and managing grants, securing funding for national, state, and local initiatives focused on prevention, treatment, and harm reduction. Her expertise includes curriculum development, outreach leadership, and providing ongoing support to ensure sustainable, positive outcomes for diverse populations. Kelly has completed specialized training in gambling disorder and holds a Certified Prevention Professional credential, broadening her impact across different areas of behavioral health.

Kelly’s professional goals include applying a trauma-informed, holistic approach to address the interconnectedness of lifestyle factors—such as sleep, nutrition, and movement—with mental health and overall wellness. In her social work practice, she envisions empowering individuals through education, advocating for access to essential resources, and integrating behavioral interventions that promote long-term well-being. By collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and addressing social determinants of health, she aims to create comprehensive care strategies that improve individual outcomes and contribute to healthier communities.

Trainer

Laura Leone, DSW, MSSW, LMSW

Dr. Laura Leone is a consultant who has worked in the behavioral and integrated health field for over 25 years, providing organizational leadership and direct services for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, in addition to presenting, publishing, training, and consulting, nationally. Dr. Leone has extensive subject matter expertise in bidirectional integration; evidence-based practices; mental health; organizational change and systems improvement; service delivery for a variety of different communities, settings, and clinic types; substance use; suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention; trauma-informed, resilience-oriented, and equity-focused care and approaches; workforce development; and other health and wellness areas. She obtained her Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Southern California, her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University, and her social work licensure from the State of New York.

Training Coordinator

Alexx Carswell

Hi, I’m Alexxandria Carswell. I am a multifaceted administrative assistant with a dash of media, marketing, and a whole lot of creativity! I thrive on making things run smoothly and efficiently. I’ve been a coordinator in most of my previous roles, all while also owning my own Home Staging business. With experience in social media, content writing, and marketing, I do my best to bring energy and enthusiasm to everything I do.

Chief Technology Officer

Angel Carswell, LISW

Angel is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with over a decade of experience in mental health services, specializing in telehealth. With a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina, she is skilled in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) for treating various mental health and substance use disorders. Angel excels in assessments, diagnoses, and safety planning, particularly in high-risk situations. She has worked with diverse populations, including adolescents, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of domestic violence. In addition to her clinical expertise, Angelique has led projects to improve healthcare operations and is pursuing a Project Management Professional certification.

Trainer

Jussara Little

Jussara has a 10-year professional working history in community nutrition and public health. She has led the screen-and-intervene initiative for food insecurity at the University of Oklahoma Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) HIV Clinic that served 1600 patients annually, many struggling with substance misuse, and now leads the same effort for the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. Jussara’s passion for working with underserved communities has led her to develop programs, services and trainings to improve the quality of life for medically complex individuals in marginalized populations and underserved communities.

Administrative Assistant

Blayne Bonfoco

Blayne Bonfoco has a variety of experience in multiple industries, spanning a career of almost 30 years. Throughout her career, Blayne has explored Tourism, Hospitality, Wine Country, Food and Beverage, Fitness, Wellness, Retail, Service, and most recently Personal Development and Education.

At first, a step into Hospitality and tourism landed Blayne in Niagara Falls, as Concierge at a Renaissance hotel; there, she was able to apply her passion for languages, improving her French and Japanese communication skills with clients, while simultaneously serving people who had questions about the local area.

After several seasons at Niagara Falls, Niagara Wine Country called, as this was where she grew up; Blayne transitioned into a role at a local winery in the Retail shop, which soon turned into taking on a lead role in developing the Home Delivery program and growing that to almost 1000 participants monthly over 6 years. She continued to use her language skills to serve the winery and thrived in the team environment.

After a decision with her husband to open their own business, Blayne worked at a local women’s only fitness facility to gain experience before investing and opening one herself. Subsequently, Blayne and her husband opened a Martial Arts Academy, which they successfully operated for 15 years. Blayne’s focus on personal development lead her to dedicate her energy towards supporting, growing and serving their various programs. Her success in positively impacting her students fuelled her desire to expand her professional experience and motivated her to pursue a path with the Canadian National Kickboxing team, serving as Assistant Coach then Head Coach for six years.

Blayne is passionate about teamwork and the pursuit of growth, believing that every person should be encouraged and respected to thrive in their lives.

In 2020, Blayne and her husband closed their Martial Arts Programs and relocated to Belize with their first-born son; this change in location has provided her and her family with time to experience life in new ways while raising their son.

Blayne’s recent entry into the non-for-profit sector, in particular working in addition support and rehabilitation, is an inspiring one for her; she is passionate about her support role with Zero Overdose, and is looking forward to helping the entire team make a difference in addiction prevention.

Trainer

Leah Harris,
MA

Leah Harris, M.A. possesses over two decades of experience writing, speaking, and training on trauma, mental health, addiction, harm reduction, suicide prevention, and resilience. Leah’s work is heavily informed by her lived experiences, and she is especially passionate about the integration of peer support, trauma-informed care, and person-centered approaches into all aspects of public health, human services, educational settings, and community programs. She has provided training, curriculum development, and technical assistance with the National Empowerment Center, SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma Informed Care (NCTIC), and the National Association for State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).

Consulting with the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, Leah developed a pilot curriculum for suicide attempt survivors to share their stories using an effective public health framework, and helped author The Way Forward: Pathways to Hope, Recovery, and Wellness with Insights from Lived Experience for the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. She is a faculty member with the Zero Suicide Institute and the Institute for Development of Human Arts, and is thrilled to join the Zero Overdose team as a trainer.

Strategy and Development Advisor

Jorge Petit,
MD

Board-certified psychiatrist with over three decades in the public healthcare sector. Throughout my journey, I have steered progressively intricate systems of care, orchestrating the achievement of enduring and systemic enhancements in essential service accessibility and provision. I am inherently results-oriented, driven by a relentless pursuit of innovation, and bring a bilingual and bicultural dimension to my leadership. My experience includes navigating and guiding organizational expansion and transformation, consistently yielding positive outcomes.

A hallmark of my expertise lies in developing and implementing high-caliber, quality-driven programs that crystallize into a cohesive, person-centric model of care, deeply embedded within the community fabric. I stand as testament to my ability to produce outcomes that transcend the boundaries of conventional care, fostering an environment where integration is paramount and the individual is at the heart of every endeavor.