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States, community health centers will receive increased funding to combat opioid use disorder
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The HHS has announced that they will provide additional funding to both states and community health centers to expand the use of medication-assisted treatment programs for opioid use disorder, according to a press release.
In addition to expanding funding, the HHS will offer direction on how states can incorporate new treatment approaches for substance use disorder.
Sylvia M. Burwell
“For those Americans who have fallen into opioid addiction and dependency, we can make the greatest impact by helping them move into recovery. This funding will expand access to medication-assisted treatment and help states and community centers continue to improve their responses to the opioid epidemic,” HHS secretary Sylvia M. Burwell, said in the release.
The medication-assisted programs take an interdisciplinary approach to treating substance use disorders, by combining medication with counseling and behavioral therapy. According to the release, more programs are desperately needed, due to the staggering rates of opioid abuse or dependency compared with treatment capability (891.8/100,000 in 2012).
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services is providing nearly $33 million in funding over the course of 3 years, which will be awarded to 11 states for increasing accessibility and utilization of medication-assisted programs.
As part of the HHS initiative to tackle opioid dependence across the country, state Medicaid programs will now have an opportunity to take part in a demonstration project that would allow them to receive federal funding that would reimburse them for substance use treatments.
More information on Secretary Burwell’s Opioid Initiative can be found at http://aspe.hhs.gov/sp/reports/2015/OpioidInitiative/ib_OpioidInitiative.cfm.