The Obama Administration announced today it will distribute $53-million to 44 states in an effort to curb opioid abuse.
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During the media call Tuesday afternoon, it was not made known which states would be included in the funding.
If the money is approved, states will get dedicated funding for rehab programs. “They are fighting an illness as well as a stigma”. “They’re doing everything they can, and we should do no less”.
WASHINGTON Addressing concerns about rising premiums and dwindling competition, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell asserted Thursday that the federal health laws insurance markets clearly are sustainable.
In comments timed to International Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday, administration officials urged lawmakers to approve $1.1 billion requested by President Obama to expand treatment options for people addicted to opioid painkillers and heroin.
The work isn’t done when overdose victims are revived, said Michael Botticelli, director of National Drug Control Policy. “Simply reviving people isn’t enough in turning the tide on this epidemic”. The various grants being awarded focus on HHS’s three priorities for addressing the surge of opioid use in the USA: providing training and education to prescribers; increasing the use and access to Naloxone, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose; and expanding the use of medication-assisted treatment. Many communities face a lack of resources to provide treatment to a growing number of people who want it, he said. “This appropriation needs to be acted on by Congress immediately – not waiting for a presidential election”.
Access to treatment is one area where more help is sorely needed, according to Steve Williams, mayor of Huntington, W.Va., who also participated in the conference call.
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“The gap that we have is the lack of treatment facilities”, he said. “This isn’t a Democratic issue; it isn’t a Republican issue; this is an issue of saving lives”. “We need to figure out where the hot spots are and figure out where the higher potency opioids are and see where they’re happening in real time”.
