“This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded over $1 billion in opioid-specific grants to help combat the crisis ravaging our country. The awards support HHS’s Five-Point Opioid Strategy, which was launched last year and enhanced this week. New data unveiled recently by HHS suggests that efforts are now yielding progress at the national level…”
“This week’s major grant announcements, most of them made possible by funding secured from Congress by President Trump in March 2018, are as follows:”
“Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SAMHSA awarded more than $930 million in State Opioid Response grants to support a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic and expand access to treatment and recovery support services….”
“Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
HRSA awarded over $396 million to combat the opioid crisis. The investments will enable HRSA-funded community health centers, academic institutions, and rural organizations to expand access to integrated substance use disorder and mental health services…”
“Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC awarded $155.5 million to increase support for states and territories working to prevent opioid-related overdoses, deaths, and other outcomes. This funding will advance the understanding of the opioid overdose epidemic and scale-up prevention and response activities, including improving the timeliness and quality of surveillance data…”
“Further HHS Actions This Week
As part of Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, other actions by HHS agencies include:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a significant funding opportunity for communities hardest-hit by the epidemic to test a comprehensive strategy supported by NIH and other agencies across the federal government.
The FDA took important steps to encourage appropriate and rational prescribing of opioids through final approval of new safety measures governing the use of immediate-release opioid analgesic medications.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health alerted healthcare providers to how they can be expanding access to medication-assisted treatment through telemedicine.” Read the full press release here.
Source: HHS Awards Over $1 Billion to Combat the Opioid Crisis – September 19, 2018. HHS.gov.
