Public comments for this HHS request closed on July 5, 2026. RAW is keeping this page available
as a record of the action and as a resource for future harm reduction advocacy.
The public comment window closed on July 5, 2026. Thank you to everyone who used this page,
shared it, or submitted a comment in support of harm reduction, naloxone, syringe services,
drug checking, wound care, outreach, peer support, and low-barrier care.
RAW is keeping this page live because advocacy matters even after a deadline passes. It helps show
what our community spoke up for, what was at stake, and how harm reduction connects to future policy work.
Last updated: July 6, 2026. This page is now an archived advocacy action and resource page.
Why this mattered
The federal government asked the public what programs, policies, and strategies should shape
addiction and mental health response. That meant people with lived and living experience, families,
outreach workers, providers, community organizations, and neighbors had a chance to speak directly
into the record.
The concern
The notice included language about ending support for some harm reduction efforts. RAW believes
that harm reduction is not the opposite of treatment or recovery. Harm reduction is often the bridge
that keeps people alive long enough to access care, connection, treatment, recovery support, housing,
and hope.
Harm reduction is community care. It includes naloxone, safer use education, syringe services,
drug checking, wound care, outreach, peer support, connection to treatment, and meeting people
without shame or judgment. These tools help prevent death, reduce infection, build trust, and keep
people connected.
Action record
This is the action RAW asked community members to take before the deadline.
Step 1
Write a comment
Community members were encouraged to tell HHS why harm reduction matters in their community.
Personal experience, professional experience, and community observations all mattered.
Step 2
Use the subject line
Comments were submitted by email with the subject line:
Great American Recovery
Step 3
Send by July 5
Comments had to be sent by July 5, 2026, to:
REPORTSCLEARANCEOFFICER@ahrq.hhs.gov
Public comments may become part of the public record. This archived page keeps the comment language available
as an example for future advocacy, but this specific comment window is closed.
What HHS asked about
Community members did not have to answer every question. RAW encouraged people to speak to the pieces
they could address honestly.
Programs That Work
What helps people?
HHS asked what programs or interventions have evidence of effectiveness in substance use
prevention, treatment, recovery, mental health care, and care for people with co-occurring needs.
Policy Ideas
What should change?
HHS asked what federal policies or funding changes could improve outcomes using existing funding.
This was a place to name low-barrier care, outreach, harm reduction, and community-based support.
Stigma
How do we reduce shame?
HHS asked how federal programs can reduce stigma against people seeking addiction treatment
and recovery. This was a place to talk about dignity, language, trust, and meeting people where they are.
Access to Care
How do people actually get help?
HHS asked how to address workforce shortages and improve access to affordable, insured care.
This was a place to talk about peer support, mobile care, flexible funding, and no-barrier services.
Points RAW encouraged people to include
These points were offered as examples for people submitting comments. They may still be useful
for future harm reduction advocacy.
Harm reduction keeps people alive and connected.
Naloxone access should be expanded, not restricted.
Syringe services help prevent infection and create pathways to care.
Drug checking helps people make safer decisions in an unpredictable drug supply.
Wound care, safer use supplies, and outreach reduce preventable harm.
People should not have to be sober, housed, insured, or treatment-ready to receive care.
Stigma keeps people away from services and makes overdose risk worse.
Peer support and lived experience should be included in federal policy and funding decisions.
Grassroots and community-based organizations need flexible, accessible funding.
Recovery, treatment, and harm reduction should work together instead of being forced into competition.
Past comment template
This was the comment template RAW shared before the July 5, 2026 deadline. It is kept here as a past example
and as a resource for future harm reduction advocacy.
Subject: Great American Recovery
To the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
I am submitting this comment in response to the Request for Information on chronic disease of addiction, mental health, treatment, recovery, and federal policy.
I urge HHS to continue supporting and expanding evidence-informed harm reduction services as part of the federal response to overdose, substance use, mental health, and homelessness.
Harm reduction is not separate from recovery, treatment, or public safety. Harm reduction keeps people alive and connected. It builds trust with people who are often pushed away from traditional systems of care. It creates pathways to naloxone, safer use education, syringe services, wound care, drug checking, peer support, treatment, housing support, mental health care, and recovery resources.
In my community, low-barrier harm reduction services help reach people who may not be ready, able, or safe enough to enter traditional treatment. These services reduce shame, prevent isolation, and create real opportunities for connection. People should not have to be sober, housed, insured, or treatment-ready to receive care that may save their life.
I am concerned by policy language that frames harm reduction as something that enables drug use. The reality is that people are already using drugs in an unpredictable and dangerous supply. Removing practical tools does not stop substance use. It only makes people less safe, less connected, and more likely to experience preventable harm.
HHS should support a full continuum of care that includes prevention, treatment, recovery, medications for opioid use disorder, naloxone, outreach, peer support, mental health services, housing support, and harm reduction. These approaches should work together, not compete against each other.
I also urge HHS to include people with lived and living experience, families, peer workers, outreach workers, harm reduction providers, and grassroots community organizations in future policy decisions. The people closest to this crisis understand what is happening on the ground and what is needed to save lives.
Please protect and expand access to harm reduction as part of a compassionate, practical, evidence-informed federal response to addiction, overdose, mental health, and recovery.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[City, State]
Shorter past comment option
This was the shorter version RAW shared for people who wanted to submit a brief comment.
Subject: Great American Recovery
To the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Please continue supporting harm reduction as part of the federal response to addiction, overdose, mental health, and recovery.
Harm reduction saves lives. Naloxone, syringe services, drug checking, safer use education, wound care, peer support, and outreach help prevent death and keep people connected to care.
People should not have to be sober, housed, insured, or treatment-ready to receive support. Harm reduction is often the first bridge to treatment, recovery, housing, and healthcare.
Please include people with lived and living experience, families, outreach workers, harm reduction providers, and community-based organizations in future policy decisions.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[City, State]
Advocacy reminders from this action
Keep It Personal
Say what you know
People do not need to sound like policy experts to advocate. Speaking from lived experience,
professional experience, or community experience matters.
Keep It Safe
Protect privacy
Public comments and advocacy materials should not include private medical information,
someone else’s story without permission, or anything confidential.
Keep It Grounded
Focus on what saves lives
Strong advocacy names the tools, services, and relationships that reduce harm and keep people connected.
Current and related advocacy
Harm reduction, treatment access, recovery support, housing, and community-based care are connected.
These RAW advocacy pages include current and ongoing action areas.
New York State
Settlement and Treatment Cost Advocacy
Help keep interest earned on opioid settlement funds tied to approved opioid crisis response,
and support efforts to reduce cost barriers for outpatient substance use treatment.
This was the share language RAW used while the comment window was open.
HHS is accepting public comments on federal addiction, mental health, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction policy through July 5, 2026.
This is a chance to speak up for harm reduction, naloxone, syringe services, drug checking, wound care, outreach, peer support, and low-barrier care that saves lives.
Recovery All Ways created a comment guide and template here:
https://recoveryallways.org/advocacy/speak-up-for-harm-reduction/
Harm reduction is care. Harm reduction saves lives.
This comment window has closed, but the work continues. Public policy should be shaped by the people
closest to the crisis. RAW will continue speaking up for practical support, dignity, connection, and care.
Speak Up for Harm Reduction
Public comments for this HHS request closed on July 5, 2026. RAW is keeping this page available as a record of the action and as a resource for future harm reduction advocacy.
This action has closed
The public comment window closed on July 5, 2026. Thank you to everyone who used this page, shared it, or submitted a comment in support of harm reduction, naloxone, syringe services, drug checking, wound care, outreach, peer support, and low-barrier care.
RAW is keeping this page live because advocacy matters even after a deadline passes. It helps show what our community spoke up for, what was at stake, and how harm reduction connects to future policy work.
Last updated: July 6, 2026. This page is now an archived advocacy action and resource page.
Why this mattered
The federal government asked the public what programs, policies, and strategies should shape addiction and mental health response. That meant people with lived and living experience, families, outreach workers, providers, community organizations, and neighbors had a chance to speak directly into the record.
The concern
The notice included language about ending support for some harm reduction efforts. RAW believes that harm reduction is not the opposite of treatment or recovery. Harm reduction is often the bridge that keeps people alive long enough to access care, connection, treatment, recovery support, housing, and hope.
Harm reduction is community care. It includes naloxone, safer use education, syringe services, drug checking, wound care, outreach, peer support, connection to treatment, and meeting people without shame or judgment. These tools help prevent death, reduce infection, build trust, and keep people connected.
Action record
This is the action RAW asked community members to take before the deadline.
Write a comment
Community members were encouraged to tell HHS why harm reduction matters in their community. Personal experience, professional experience, and community observations all mattered.
Use the subject line
Comments were submitted by email with the subject line:
Great American Recovery
Send by July 5
Comments had to be sent by July 5, 2026, to:
REPORTSCLEARANCEOFFICER@ahrq.hhs.gov
Public comments may become part of the public record. This archived page keeps the comment language available as an example for future advocacy, but this specific comment window is closed.
What HHS asked about
Community members did not have to answer every question. RAW encouraged people to speak to the pieces they could address honestly.
What helps people?
HHS asked what programs or interventions have evidence of effectiveness in substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, mental health care, and care for people with co-occurring needs.
What should change?
HHS asked what federal policies or funding changes could improve outcomes using existing funding. This was a place to name low-barrier care, outreach, harm reduction, and community-based support.
How do we reduce shame?
HHS asked how federal programs can reduce stigma against people seeking addiction treatment and recovery. This was a place to talk about dignity, language, trust, and meeting people where they are.
How do people actually get help?
HHS asked how to address workforce shortages and improve access to affordable, insured care. This was a place to talk about peer support, mobile care, flexible funding, and no-barrier services.
Points RAW encouraged people to include
These points were offered as examples for people submitting comments. They may still be useful for future harm reduction advocacy.
Past comment template
This was the comment template RAW shared before the July 5, 2026 deadline. It is kept here as a past example and as a resource for future harm reduction advocacy.
Shorter past comment option
This was the shorter version RAW shared for people who wanted to submit a brief comment.
Advocacy reminders from this action
Say what you know
People do not need to sound like policy experts to advocate. Speaking from lived experience, professional experience, or community experience matters.
Protect privacy
Public comments and advocacy materials should not include private medical information, someone else’s story without permission, or anything confidential.
Focus on what saves lives
Strong advocacy names the tools, services, and relationships that reduce harm and keep people connected.
Current and related advocacy
Harm reduction, treatment access, recovery support, housing, and community-based care are connected. These RAW advocacy pages include current and ongoing action areas.
Settlement and Treatment Cost Advocacy
Help keep interest earned on opioid settlement funds tied to approved opioid crisis response, and support efforts to reduce cost barriers for outpatient substance use treatment.
Read and share this advocacy pageExpand Methadone Access
Support low-barrier access to methadone treatment, including pharmacy-based pickup options.
Read and share this advocacy pagePast share language
This was the share language RAW used while the comment window was open.
Harm reduction is care. Harm reduction saves lives.
This comment window has closed, but the work continues. Public policy should be shaped by the people closest to the crisis. RAW will continue speaking up for practical support, dignity, connection, and care.