HHS awards $485 million to combat opioid crisis

HHS recently announced that it will soon administer grants totaling $485 million to all 50 states, Washington, D.C, four U.S. territories and the free associated states of Palau and Micronesia to combat opioid addiction, according to a press release.

The funding — the first of two rounds provided for in the 21^st Century Cures Act — will support a wide range of prevention, treatment and recovery services and will be awarded through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Funds will be administered to states and territories based on rates of overdose deaths and unmet need for opioid addiction treatment, according to the release.

“As I begin my tenure as Secretary of [HHS], I do so with a profound commitment to addressing this public health crisis as one of our top three departmental priorities,” Tom Price, MD, Secretary of HHS, wrote in a letter to governors. “Opioids were responsible for over 33,000 deaths in 2015; this alarming statistic is unacceptable to me. We cannot continue to lose our nation’s citizens to addiction. Through a sustained focus on people, patients, and partnerships, I am confident that together we can turn the tide on this public health crisis."

President Donald J. Trump recently signed an executive order establishing a commission on combating drug addiction and the opioid crisis. HHS committed to providing the commission with vital resources for care and treatment, according to the release.

“These grants aim to increase access to treatment, reduce unmet need, and reduce overdose related deaths,” Price wrote in the letter. “I understand the urgency of this funding; however, I also want to ensure the resources and policies are properly aligned with and remain responsive to this evolving epidemic. Therefore, while I am releasing the funding for the first year immediately, my intention for the second year is to develop funding allocations and policies that are the most clinically sound, effective and efficient.”

In the letter, Price also pledged to collaborate with governors to identify best practices, lessons learned and critical strategies to ensure clinically sound, effective and efficient programs.

HHS has prioritized five specific strategies to combat the evolving opioid crisis, including strengthening public health surveillance, advancing the practice of pain management, improving access to treatment and recovery services, targeting availability and distribution of overdose-reversing drugs and supporting front-line research, according to the release.

Disclosure: Healio Internal Medicine was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.