HHS Awards $94M to Treat Opioid and Heroin Abuse Epidemic
- By BSTQ Staff
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $94 million in Affordable Care Act funding to 271 health centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services with a specific focus on treatment of opioid and heroin use in underserved populations. Approximately 4.5 million people in the U.S. were nonmedical prescription pain reliever users in 2013, and an estimated 289,000 were current heroin users. HHS estimates the number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain medications has nearly quadrupled from 1999 to 2013, and deaths related to heroin increased 39 percent between 2012 and 2013.
The awards will increase the number of patients screened for substance use disorders and connected to treatment, increase the number of patients with access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use and other substance use disorder treatment, and provide training and educational resources to help health professionals make informed prescribing decisions. The investment is expected to help awardees hire approximately 800 providers to treat nearly 124,000 new patients. “The opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing public health issues in the United States today,” said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. “Expanding access to medication-assisted treatment and integrating these services in health centers bolsters nationwide efforts to curb opioid misuse and abuse, supports approximately 124,000 new patients accessing substance abuse treatment for recovery and helps save lives.
