HHS Request for Comment on Chronic Disease of Addiction

Summary: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released a major Request for Information (RFI) tied to the Great American Recovery Initiative, and unlike a typical proposed rule, it doesn’t include draft regulations or a simple option to support or oppose. Instead, it asks the public to help shape future federal policy by sharing evidence on addiction, mental health, treatment, recovery, and related issues like workforce shortages, stigma, and data systems. RFIs are important because they guide future funding priorities and policy decisions, and this one signals a potential shift away from harm reduction and Housing First toward more traditional treatment, including expanded outpatient treatment mandates.  

Public input is especially important right now. Individuals with lived experience, including people who use drugs, people in recovery, and their families; providers, researchers, outreach workers, peer specialists, syringe service programs, treatment providers, housing advocates and community-based organizations should consider submitting comments.

The key is to clearly share what works, what happens when harm reduction programs are defunded, and why services like naloxone, syringe programs, Housing First, low barrier MOUD, wound care, and peer support belong together. Recovery and harm reduction are not opposing approaches but part of the same continuum. Recovery cannot be safeguarded by removing the very services that keep people alive long enough to achieve it. 

What You Can Do

Submit comments via email to REPORTSCLEARANCEOFFICER@ahrq.hhs.gov

Subject line: Great American Recovery

Deadline: July 5, 2026 

Read the full notice by the Health and Human Services department issued on June 10, 2026.

Include:

  1. Your name and organization, if submitting on behalf of one.
  2. A short explanation of your experience with addiction, mental health, recovery, harm reduction, treatment, housing, peer support, public health or related services.
  3. Your main recommendations.
  4. Evidence, examples, research links or data, if you have them.
  5. A clear request for what HHS should do.

Do not include protected health information, private client information or anything confidential that you would not want made public. 

Example Comment Structure

Opening: I am submitting comments in response to the HHS Request for Information on Chronic Disease of Addiction and the Great American Recovery Initiative. 

Experience: Briefly explain who you are and why this issue matters to you. 

Main point: Encourage HHS to support the full continuum of evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction services. 

Recommendations: 

  1. Preserve federal support for evidence-based harm reduction, including syringe services, naloxone, drug checking, wound care, infectious disease prevention and low barrier outreach.
  2. Protect access to all FDA approved medications for opioid use disorder and make clear that MOUD is recovery.
  3. Support Housing First, recovery housing and supportive housing as part of a full housing continuum instead of forcing communities into one model.
  4. Ensure any Assisted Outpatient Treatment or civil commitment funding includes due process, voluntary care first, access to counsel, peer support and strong civil rights protections.
  5. Include people with lived and living experience in program design, and implementation.