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HHS announced Thursday that it would give four states more than $ 350 million to reduce by 40% the number of opioid deaths over three years.
Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio will participate in a study that could serve as a model for other states on how to fight the epidemic of opioids, said officials. responsible for HHS. The study aims to coordinate efforts to prevent and treat opioid dependence in schools, the criminal justice system and other parts of the community.
"Unfortunately, this effort is necessary as our country is facing an unprecedented crisis of opioid and overdose abuse," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar at the announcement. l & # 39; study.
The study is part of a long-term initiative of the National Institutes of Health called Helping to End Long-Term Dependency, or HEAL, which aims to coordinate efforts made by the different HHS agencies to fight against the opioid crisis.
The funds will be distributed as grants to a university or hospital system in each state: the University of Kentucky, Boston Medical Center, Columbia University in New York, and Ohio State University in Columbus.
"Each site works in partnership with at least 15 communities to measure the impact of integrating evidence-based prevention, treatment and recovery interventions into primary care settings, behavioral health, justice and others, in highly affected areas of the country, "according to an NIH statement. on the project.
RTI International, a non-profit institute in North Carolina, will be a coordinating center that will review each country's health economics data and research to disseminate the results of their research to other states.
NIH director Francis Collins said at the event that there had been research on the best way to treat opioid addiction, but there are still "many things we do not know about on the necessary treatment ".
"Many of these studies that we have done tend to be … circumscribed in a relatively well-studied environment, and they have not necessarily translated to communities," Collins said. "Reaching rural communities has been particularly difficult."
Azar told reporters that the study funding, called HEALing Communities, would not be affected by cuts in the administration of anti-psychoactive substance abuse and mental health services ( NIH) in the White House budget proposal.
The budget proposal released last month would reduce SAMSHA's spending by $ 62 million during the 2020 federal fiscal year and $ 5.5 billion for the NIH.
However, there is a "firewall" around any marked opioid funding, Azar said.
He added that the budget was only a proposal and that it did not have to be passed by the Congress, which until now was showing only a small amount of money. affection for him.
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