Kiggans’ Mental Health Tech Amendment Adopted as House Passes Opioid Prevention & Treatment Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02)—a Navy veteran, geriatric nurse practitioner, and Co-Vice Chair of the Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus—celebrated the House passage of H.R. 2483, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that renews key federal programs focused on opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery. The legislation passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, 366–57.

Included in the final bill was an amendment authored by Rep. Kiggans, directing the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to convene a public roundtable on how increased use of electronic health records (EHRs) among mental health and substance use providers can improve care coordination and patient outcomes. The roundtable will also examine barriers to EHR adoption in behavioral health settings and propose strategies to increase uptake.

“As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how better coordination and access to information can transform outcomes for patients struggling with mental health and substance use challenges,” said Congresswoman Kiggans. “This amendment is a commonsense step toward integrating mental health and substance use providers into the broader healthcare system through improved EHR adoption. I’m proud it was included in this bipartisan bill to ensure our federal health infrastructure supports both innovation and compassion.”

You can find the full text of this bill here.

About H.R. 2483:
The SUPPORT Act reauthorizes several critical public health programs administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to combat the opioid epidemic. Specifically, the bill:
• Strengthens states’ ability to prevent overdose deaths
• Expands access to treatment and recovery services
• Enhances support for individuals and families affected by substance use

Congresswoman Kiggans continues to champion evidence-based policies to modernize mental health care and combat the opioid crisis in communities across Virginia and the nation.