Senator Murray Visits Cowlitz Tribe’s Mobile MAT Van & Vancouver Clinic, Discusses Funding She Secured for Cowlitz Tribe’s Substance Use Disorder Treatment Efforts

Senator Murray secured $765,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Cowlitz Tribe to renovate their Longview Behavioral Health Clinic last year and is working to advance $700,000 for Tribe's substance use disorder treatment work in FY24 government funding bills

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Vancouver, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, toured the Cowlitz Tribe's Vancouver clinic and their Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Van, which provides mobile substance use disorder treatment services, and met with Cowlitz Tribe Chairwoman Patty Kinswa-Gaiser and other Cowlitz Tribal leaders about their work treating substance use disorder in Clark County and the surrounding communities.

"There is a tremendous need across our state for substance use disorder treatment, and what the Cowlitz Tribe is doing here-providing MAT services in a mobile unit that can come directly to people who need care, whether they are Tribal members or not-is incredible. This is really making a big difference on the ground for people who need treatment and don't necessarily have the resources or ability to travel to get it," said Senator Murray. "The opioid epidemic is an urgent crisis for every community in Washington state, especially for our Tribes-I'm absolutely committed to continuing to work at the federal level to provide the resources and support that communities need to address this crisis and break down barriers in access to mental health care and addiction treatment."

"Senator Patty Murray continues to demonstrate a profound understanding for addressing the mental health and substance use disorder crisis impacting too many of our people," said Cowlitz General Council Chairwoman Patty Kinswa-Gaiser. "We're blessed by the Senator's continued support for building broad-based mental and behavioral health services, including the Cowlitz Indian Tribe's MAT clinic that is becoming increasingly mobile, available on demand, and open to anyone in need of help. Senator Murray's leadership is enabling culturally appropriate healing, saving lives, and keeping families together across Indian Country and Washington state."

In December 2022, Senator Murray secured $765,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Cowlitz Tribe to renovate their Behavioral Health Clinic in Longview in the end-of-year government funding bill. The funding Murray secured last year was used to make the second floor of the clinic ADA accessible and replace windows for energy efficiency and improve temperature regulation, supporting the Cowlitz Tribe's work providing substance use disorder treatment and helping enable the clinic to offer longer hours. This year, Senator Murray is working to advance $700,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending in the Fiscal Year 2024 government funding legislation for the Cowlitz Tribe to expand their mobile drug treatment services, which Senator Murray visited today.

As Chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray has made addressing the opioid epidemic a priority in our government funding bills. Despite the tough funding circumstances of the debt ceiling deal, Senator Murray managed to secure a $125 million boost for substance use disorder treatment and prevention in the draft appropriations legislation that passed through Committee in July, as well as additional funding to support NIH research into opioid abuse. Senator Murray is now working to get those bills to President Biden's desk.

As the top Democrat on the Senate HELP Committee in the 115^th Congress, Senator Murray negotiated and passed into law major bipartisan legislation to tackle the opioid crisis. She then successfully secured federal dollars to expand the 988 helpline, boost the mental health and substance use disorder workforce, and increase access to treatment and overdose medication in last year's government funding package.

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