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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing awards in five grant programs devoted to combating multiple facets of substance misuse and the nation’s overdose epidemic. The grant awards total up to $47.8 million.
The grant awards facilitate ongoing efforts throughout the nation in prevention, treatment, recovery support and harm reduction – the pillars of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy. The Overdose Prevention Strategy helps advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Drug Control Strategy, which delivers on the call to action in President Biden’s Unity Agenda for a whole-of-government approach to beat the overdose epidemic.
“Improving access to evidence-based treatment is one of the pillars of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy,” said Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Funding multifaceted efforts to prevent and treat addiction reflects our commitment to helping Americans attain and sustain recovery.”
“Drug overdoses have taken a heartbreaking toll on our country, and addressing untreated addiction is a key component of President Biden’s National Drug Control Strategy,” said White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta. “These grant programs will help further advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to support drug prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services.”
“The awarding of grants aimed at preventing and treating substance misuse is central to SAMHSA’s daily work with communities throughout our nation,” said Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, and the leader of SAMHSA. “The timing this year coincides with the implementation of a law that expands the number of prescribers eligible to provide medication for opioid use disorder treatment. Recovery is real and attainable.”
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA), signed by President Biden in December 2022, removed the requirement for practitioners to have a waiver to prescribe medications, like buprenorphine, for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). All practitioners who have a current Drug Enforcement Administration registration that includes Schedule III authority may now prescribe buprenorphine for OUD in their practice if permitted by applicable state law. Read more information on the CAA’s prescribing component.
The five grant programs are:
Anyone in the United States seeking treatment for substance use issues should call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.gov. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Anyone who needs help knowing what first step to take in pursuing help can find guidance at findsupport.gov.
Reporters with questions should send inquiries to media@samhsa.hhs.gov.
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