All Hands, All Branches: Expanding Advocacy to the Judicial Branch

Rx Summit participants know that reducing substance use disorder (SUD) and drug poisonings requires all hands on deck, i.e., contributions from not-for-profit organizations, faith communities, employers, and others. It also requires advocacy across all three branches of government. Federal and state legislative and executive branches have brought about meaningful change, but there is much more still to do. And the judicial branch has a particularly important role to play.

In this session, the presenters will describe firsthand how participants can help deploy the judicial branch to yield SUD-related policy change. They will make actionable recommendations for how Rx Summit participants can expand their advocacy into the judicial branch. For example, every community coalition should include a prosecutor, criminal defense attorney, and civil litigator. The speakers will explain why and how.

• Mr. Barnes will discuss how participants can foster change by helping people harmed by a healthcare facility’s failure to provide a warm handoff to SUD treatment pursue medical malpractice cases. He also will discuss ways to educate attorneys to reduce stigma and support justice reforms.
• Dr. Barthwell will discuss how SUD counselors, peer recovery specialists, and others can serve as expert witnesses in federal and state civil and criminal actions to promote therapeutic interventions and expand access to treatment.
• Mr. Collins will discuss how participants can help people denied appropriate SUD treatment participate in litigation to enforce their parity rights and end institutional discrimination against persons with SUD.