Class-action suit against The Salvation Army could help addiction sufferers access the two most effective medical treatment drugs

The Salvation Army is best known for
its holiday bell ringers. (Adobe photo)

Managing up to 25,000 Christmas bell ringers isn't the only thing The Salvation Army does. The charity also runs addiction treatment facilities whose care is at the "center of a legal fight that could set a precedent for all Americans seeking treatment for opioid addiction using two common and effective medications, methadone and buprenorphine," reports Lev Facher of STAT News.

The Salvation Army addiction facilities prohibit participants from using methadone and buprenorphine, despite the fact the "two medications are widely used to treat addiction and are vastly safer than the drugs they are meant to replace, like heroin or fentanyl," Facher explains. The class-action suit alleges its plaintiffs were "denied access to addiction treatment services because of their use of the medications."

The two drugs form the only medical treatment shown to effectively help addiction sufferers stop using opioids. The drugs also prevent severe fentanyl withdrawal, which can be physically and mentally excruciating.

Methadone and buprenorphine are often viewed by many Americans as "little better than street drugs," Facher reports. "As STAT found in the investigative series "The War on Recovery," many recovery-focused groups — including The Salvation Army and other rehabilitation centers, as well as 12-step recovery organizations like Narcotics Anonymous — remain opposed to the medications’ use despite the overwhelming evidence of their medical benefit."

Officials with The Salvation Army did not respond to requests for comments, according to Facher. 

Janet Herold, an attorney with the nonprofit Justice Catalyst Law, which sued The Salvation Army, told Facher, “The case has the potential to quite dramatically change the access situation for people with opioid use disorder." Facher adds, "The ongoing lawsuit, Herold said, could set a precedent that leads more treatment providers to offer the medications regardless of their ideological objections."

According to Facher's report, the "judge's ruling relies in part on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, legislation that bars any group receiving federal financial assistance from discriminating against an individual solely on the basis of their disability."