The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced grant awards totaling up to $47.8 million to combat various aspects of substance misuse and the overdose epidemic. The grants support prevention, treatment, recovery support and harm reduction efforts across the nation as part of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy, aligned with the Biden-Harris Administration's National Drug Control Strategy.
“Improving access to evidence-based treatment is one of the pillars of the HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy. Funding multifaceted efforts to prevent and treat addiction reflects our commitment to helping Americans attain and sustain recovery," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a July 19 news release.
SAMHSA is announcing grants for five grant programs aimed at reducing the overdose crisis and its many manifestations. The HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy's four cornerstones of prevention, treatment, recovery support and harm reduction are made possible by the grant awards, the release said.
The National Drug Control Strategy, which answers the call to action in President Biden's Unity Agenda for a whole-of-government effort to combat the overdose pandemic, is advanced by the Overdose Prevention Strategy under the Biden-Harris administration, according to the release.
“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. These grant programs will help further advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to support drug prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services,” White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta said in the release.
The necessity for practitioners to get a waiver to prescribe drugs, including buprenorphine, for the treatment of opioid use disorder was repealed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023, which President Joe Biden signed in December 2022, the release said. If allowed by state legislation, the release claims all medical professionals who hold an active Drug Enforcement Administration registration with Schedule III authority may now prescribe buprenorphine for OUD in their practice.
“The awarding of grants aimed at preventing and treating substance misuse is central to SAMHSA’s daily work with communities throughout our nation," HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Dr. Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, leader of SAMHSA, said in the release. "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."
