Four bills were introduced last week in the U.S. Senate to help individuals struggling with addiction, and to help prevent risk of addiction.

l The Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers Act would create a pilot program allowing the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to eligible entities to create new or expand existing centers to serve as “Comprehensive Opioid Recovery Centers.

These centers would provide a full range of treatment and recovery services — including medication-assisted treatment, recovery housing, job training, and support reintegrating into the workforce, counseling, community-based, and peer recovery support service, among others.

States with higher overdose death rates, such as West Virginia and New Hampshire, would be given priority for these grants.

“Much like there is no single solution to combating the opioid epidemic, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the recovery process,” said U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “This legislation will help establish and expand comprehensive recovery centers that offer a wide range of services to not only treat patients, but also provide them with the resources and support they need to lead a successful drug-free life.”

Similar legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House.

l The Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Departments Act would provide hospital emergency departments with guidance and funding to treat overdose patients and help put them on the path to recovery.

The bill aims to help prevent repeated opioid overdoses by requiring the development of protocols for discharging patients who are treated for a drug overdose and enhancing the integration and coordination of care and treatment options for individuals with a substance use disorder after discharge.

The bill would provide competitive grants for emergency departments, especially those in areas with high overdose rates or in rural areas.

l The Recovery Coaches Offer Addiction Counseling & Healing (COACH) Act would help expand access to recovery coaches for Americans who are struggling with addiction and embarking on the road to recovery.

The bill would provide states with grants to ensure those struggling with substance use disorder have access to specially trained coaches in the emergency department who can serve as a mentor, provide insight and encouragement, support families, and help patients navigate treatment options.

Certified recovery coaches will each have personal experience with substance use and recovery and will be located in areas with the greatest need within a state. The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and the National Governors Association recommend the use of recovery coaches.

“Treatment and recovery are two essential components of our fight against the opioid epidemic, but improvements can be made when it comes to both the access and effectiveness of these critical services,” Capito said.

l The Reducing Opioid Risk Act aims to ensure that more doctors and patients know about the option to partly fill opioid prescriptions. The legislation builds on the Reducing Unused Medications Act of 2016, which allows prescriptions for opioid medications to be partly filled by pharmacists at the request of patients and doctors, cutting down on the number of unused painkillers in circulation.

When patients have the option to partly fill a prescription for opioids, they can choose to take home only a few days’ worth of pills — and then return to the pharmacy for more of their prescription if their pain persists. Reducing unused prescription painkillers is a key part of tackling the opioid crisis, which has been fueled by an increase in the number of opioid prescriptions.

“Pursuing solutions on all fronts is critical to effectively ending the opioid epidemic,” Capito said. “Allowing the partial filling of opioid prescriptions is one way we can reduce the drug supply and prevent unused prescriptions from ending up in the wrong hands.”