Federal Government Awards $1.6 Billion for Communities Addressing Addiction and Overdose

Last week, the Biden Administration awarded $1.6 billion in funding to address the nation’s worsening addiction and overdose crisis. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will issue funding for prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support to four federal programs.

SAMSHA’s State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program will allot formula funding to states to increase access to treatment medications of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). SOR will grant $1,439,500,000 to 58 states/territories for prevention and recovery support services. You can find a list of awardees here.

Funding will be awarded to SAMSHA’s Tribal Opioid Response (TOR) grant programs to increase access to treatment and recovery support services to Tribal communities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), data shows the deaths by overdose in American Indians and Alaska Natives rose to 75% above the national average. TOR will grant $54,976,150 to 102 Tribal entities to address these concerns. You can find a list of TOR awardees here.

Technical Assistance programs for SOR and TOR will receive $16.6 million in funding for education and training to states that provide free educational resources to communities and individuals. SOR/TOR Technical Assistance programs ensure the provision of evidence-based prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support programs/services across the SOR/TOR programs.

Lastly, HRSA’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program will grant $104 million to expand treatment and prevention services in rural areas for substance use disorders (SUD) and OUD. The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program is a multi-year initiative aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality in communities with decreased access to resources.

In 2021, according to the CDC, more than 107,000 people died by overdose. The Biden Administration plans tackle this growing crisis and these funds will focus on providing evidence-based support and person-centered care.

For any questions, or if you would like to get involved in ACA’s advocacy efforts, please contact the ACA Government Affairs and Public Policy team at advocacy@counseling.org.