The Biden-Harris administration on March 6 unveiled plans to allocate close to $50 million towards bolstering opioid treatment and recovery services in rural areas across the United States.
The announcement is in line with the White House’s mission of tackling the ongoing opioid crisis, which has disproportionately affected rural communities in recent years.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the initiative aims to expand access to critical resources and support networks for individuals struggling with opioid addiction in remote regions.
“This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of all Americans,” HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm said in an announcement. “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to ensuring that people have access to lifesaving care when and where they need it.”
The multi-faceted initiative will include funding for a range of programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing treatment options, expanding telehealth services and supporting community-based organizations engaged in opioid prevention and recovery efforts.
Furthermore, HHS – along with its agency, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – intends to leverage partnerships with local health care providers, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment centers and other stakeholders.
“HRSA’s Rural Opioid Treatment and Recovery Initiative continues to put people at the center of their care, by lowering barriers to accessing treatment and growing a workforce prepared to meet people where they are in their journey of recovery,” Palm continued.
Already, HRSA has hosted more than 800 rural community leaders “working at the grassroots level to build their communities’ capacity to turn the tide of the opioid epidemic,” according to the announcement.
The announcement comes as part of the administration’s broader strategy to combat SUD and promote public health equity.
“Treatment works and recovery is possible,” HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said in the announcement. “That is why our new HRSA Rural Opioid Treatment and Recovery Initiative prioritizes building and expanding access to opioid use disorder treatment and recovery services in rural communities.”
“We know for these efforts to succeed, we need to not only create more rural access to medications to treat opioid use disorder and respond to the challenge fentanyl has created, but also expand support for the rural substance use disorder workforce and increase recovery supports, transportation, employment, and other vital services that make recovery possible,” Johnson continued.
Applications for the funding will be accepted through May 6.
