There is established in the Administration a Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Center”). The Center shall be headed by a Director (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Director”) appointed by the Secretary from among individuals with extensive experience or academic qualifications in the treatment of substance use disorders or in the evaluation of substance use disorder treatment systems.

The Director of the Center shall—

(1) administer the substance use disorder treatment block grant program authorized in section 300x–21 of this title;

(2) ensure that emphasis is placed on children and adolescents in the development of treatment programs;

(3) collaborate with the Attorney General to develop programs to provide substance use disorder treatment services to individuals who have had contact with the Justice system, especially adolescents;

(4) collaborate with the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in order to provide outreach services to identify individuals in need of treatment services, with emphasis on the provision of such services to pregnant and postpartum women and their infants and to individuals who illicitly use drugs intravenously;

(5) collaborate with the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, with the Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and with the States to promote the study, dissemination, and implementation of research findings that will improve the delivery and effectiveness of treatment services;

(6) collaborate with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to promote the increased integration into the mainstream of the health care system of the United States of programs for providing treatment services;

(7) evaluate plans submitted by the States pursuant to section 300x–32(a)(6) of this title in order to determine whether the plans adequately provide for the availability, allocation, and effectiveness of treatment services;

(8) sponsor regional workshops on improving the quality and availability of treatment services;

(9) provide technical assistance to public and nonprofit private entities that provide treatment services, including technical assistance with respect to the process of submitting to the Director applications for any program of grants or contracts;

(10) carry out activities to educate individuals on the need for establishing treatment facilities within their communities;

(11) encourage public and private entities that provide health insurance to provide benefits for outpatient treatment services and other nonhospital-based treatment services;

(12) evaluate treatment programs to determine the quality and appropriateness of various forms of treatment, which shall be carried out through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements provided to public or nonprofit private entities;

(13) ensure the consistent documentation of the application of criteria when awarding grants and the ongoing oversight of grantees after such grants are awarded;

(14) work with States, providers, and individuals in recovery, and their families, to promote the expansion of recovery support services and systems of care oriented toward recovery;

(15) in cooperation with the Secretary, implement and disseminate, as appropriate, the recommendations in the report entitled “Protecting Our Infants Act: Final Strategy” issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2017; and

(16) in cooperation with relevant stakeholders, and through public-private partnerships, encourage education about substance use disorders for pregnant women and health care providers who treat pregnant women and babies.

In carrying out the duties established in subsection (b), the Director may make grants to and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with public and nonprofit private entities.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title V, § 507, as added Pub. L. 102–321, title I, § 107(2), July 10, 1992, 106 Stat. 335; amended Pub. L. 106–310, div. B, title XXXI, § 3112(a), Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1188; Pub. L. 108–173, title IX, § 900(e)(2)(B), Dec. 8, 2003, 117 Stat. 2372; Pub. L. 114–255, div. B, title VI, § 6007(c), Dec. 13, 2016, 130 Stat. 1214; Pub. L. 115–271, title VII, § 7063(b), (c), Oct. 24, 2018, 132 Stat. 4020.)