The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Tuesday that it is rolling out two grant programs totaling $25.6 million to expand medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD), along with preventing the misuse of prescription drugs.
The funding – which is being dispersed through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – is part of efforts by the Biden administration to improve the mental health of Americans, as well as combating suicide and substance use disorders (SUDs) nationwide.
The grant programs include the following:
- Medication-Assisted Treatment – Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction, which will dispense $22.6 million over five years for resources to help expand and enhance access to medications for OUD. At least $11 million will be awarded to Native American tribes, tribal organizations or consortia.
- Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs, which will provide $3 million over five years of funding to state agencies, territories and tribal entities that have completed a Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant plan or a similar state plan to target prescription drug misuse
More than 99,000 deaths from SUD occurred over a 12-month period ending in September 2021, according to the most recent provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Many of the SUD fatalities have been linked to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The data, which is still being tabulated, is projecting over 104,000 SUD deaths to have occurred within the time span upon final tally.
At current levels, 1.2 million deaths from OUD are expected to have occurred throughout North America by 2019.
“Every five minutes someone in our nation dies from an overdose,” HHS Secretary Xaveir Becerra said in a statement released by the agency. “This is unacceptable. At HHS, we are committed to addressing the overdose crisis, and one of the ways we’re doing this is by expanding access to medication-assisted treatment and other effective, evidenced-based prevention and intervention strategies.”
The SUD epidemic – which has been traditionally associated with majority rural and white communities – has also increasingly affected other populations.
Data published by JAMA Psychiatry shows that overdose death rates among Black, Hispanic, Native American and Alaskan Indian individuals have been increasing at higher rates in recent years than those in white communities.
“This funding will enhance efforts underway throughout our nation to get help to Americans who need it,” HHS Assistant Secretary of Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon said in the statement.
Delphin-Rittmon also heads up SAMHSA.
“Expanding access to evidence-based treatments and supports for individuals struggling with opioid use disorder has never been more critical,” she added. “Strengthening the nation’s prescribing guidelines to prevent misuse is equally critical.”