Sample Letter to Legislators

 

Subject: Urgent Action Needed to Improve Patient Safety in Addiction Treatment

 

Dear [Legislator's Name],

 

Addiction treatment in America is inconsistent, underregulated, and big business. Too often, rehabs cut corners, evade oversight, and prioritize financial gain over patient safety. Families seeking help for their loved ones should not have to navigate a broken system filled with misleading practices, inadequate oversight, and harmful gaps in care.

 

I urge you to support Spencer’s Law to bring national and state standards through fiduciary responsibility in addiction care. We have fiduciary standards for managing pension assets (ERISA). Why not patient safety? Without protections, individuals remain vulnerable to ineffective programs, unethical business practices, and preventable harm. We tolerate fraud around the country, hear the stories of predatory practices, the infamous "Florida Shuffle," Rehab Riviera, and heartbreaking stories of personal loss, such as 24-year-old Spencer, who was discharged and lost his life to overdose within hours.

 

Spencer’s Law seeks to:

• Establish fiduciary responsibility in addiction treatment to hold providers accountable for patient loyalty, a duty of care, transparency, prudence, and mitigation of fatal overdose risk.

• Mandate safety protocols during transitions along the continuum of care. 

• Improve outcomes for long-term recovery and bring hope for thousands suffering in the current crisis.

 

For years, treatment centers and sober homes have operated without necessary guardrails, oversight, and accountability. Many ignore evidence-based practices, discharge patients without proper safety plans, and fail to mitigate against known overdose risks. Every year, thousands of families suffer the devastating consequences of this broken system.

 

This is not about politics—it is about saving lives and demanding ethical healthcare practices. I urge you to support Spencer’s Law to strengthen patient protections and bring accountability to the addiction treatment industry. We cannot afford to lose more lives to fatal overdoses. Will you stand with us to support Spencer's Law?

 

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to public health. 

 

Sincerely,

Your Name

Contact info