Recovery community organization leaders told the House subcommittee that peer-run recovery centers provide essential “last mile” services — peer coaching, mutual support groups, transportation and referrals — and urged recurring state support under Section 978 of the budget or related statutory mechanisms.

Patrick Patterson, president of the Michigan Association of Recovery Community Organizations (MARCO) and leader of the Blue Water Recovery and Outreach Center, told the panel RCOs often operate without Medicaid reimbursement and rely on unstable short-term funding. “Without dedicated investment by you by using opioid settlement funds, this vital support system is at risk,” Patterson said.

Patterson said RCOs statewide field thousands of support calls, provide group meetings and transport individuals without billing Medicaid. He described a multi-part request to the state that would fund individual RCOs and an association-level technical-assistance pool to improve accountability and data reporting. The testimony referenced Section 978 in the state budget and Michigan Mental Health Code provisions enacted in prior years as the statutory framework for recurring supports.

What was not decided: The committee did not make any appropriation; Patterson asked legislators to consider recurring appropriations to stabilize RCOs’ operations and to allow reimbursement pathways over time.

Next steps: MARCO offered to provide more detail and agreed that reimbursement through insurance and Medicaid is a long-term sustainability goal.