UK receives $ 87 million grant to reduce deaths from opioids

The University of Kentucky has received a federal grant of $ 87 million, the largest in its history, to reduce by 40% the number of deaths from opioids in 16 counties in the state.

This four-year grant is one of four grants announced Thursday by the National Institutes of Health totaling $ 350 million. Other organizations receiving a study grant from HEALing communities are Boston Medical Center Massachusetts, Columbia University New York and Ohio State University.

Each site will work in partnership with at least 15 communities to measure the impact of prevention, treatment and recovery interventions in hospitals, behavioral health programs and the criminal justice system. The study will track the results of strategies such as providing prisoners with more treatment for opioid use disorder, allowing more providers to prescribe drug treatment for opioid dependence and expanding the distribution of naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses.

The idea is to save lives while providing researchers with valuable data on best practices for dealing with one of the worst health crises in the country.

In Kentucky, the principal investigator of the grant will be Sharon Walsh, Director of the UK Center for Drugs and Alcohol Research, who will work with the Cabinet of Health and Family Services and the Office of Justice and Home Affairs. public safety to lead a team of 20 researchers and the community. the partners. The 16 counties of Kentucky are concentrated in the central, northern and eastern parts of the state: Fayette, Bourbon, Franklin, Jessamine, Clark, Madison, Boyle, Jefferson, Knox, Floyd, Carter, Boyd, Greenup, Mason, Campbell and Kenton.

These counties are not necessarily the most affected by the crisis, but everyone must meet certain criteria, including a prison, at least 25 deaths by opioid overdose per 100,000 population, a needle exchange program and one or more providers offering drugs. assisted therapy, such as buprenorphine, for opioid dependence.

Together, the 16 rural and metropolitan counties reported 764 opioid overdose deaths in 2017, two-thirds of which are related to fentanyl, British officials said. They also represent about 40% of the total population of the state, which has more than 4 million inhabitants.

"The goal is to show a significant change in the overdose mortality rate over a short period of time and to do so in order to reveal which evidence-based interventions are effective in the community," said Walsh. "What will work? Does he distribute more naloxone? Is it better to educate people about evidence-based treatment? Does it increase access to treatment and reduce barriers? For example, if we pay for someone's transportation to get to their treatment program, will it help them stay in treatment?

According to the National Addictions Institute, more than 70,000 Americans have died from a drug overdose in 2017, including 1,565 in Kentucky.

State health officials have tried to increase the number of drug treatments for opioid dependence, but this is not common practice in many treatment centers or hospitals. Drugs such as buprenorphine may respond to the addictive desires associated with opioid consumption disorders, but they can also be abused or resold on the street.

NIH officials visited the UK in February to evaluate their grant application.

Research data from the four sites will be analyzed throughout the duration of the grant. In Kentucky, said Walsh, the grant will start with listening sessions to allow local organizations to find out what help they need the most, "so we can understand how to help."

This information will help to put in place a "navigation system of care" that will look different from one county to another. For example, in some places, the grant could help fund more methadone treatment, which is not covered by Medicaid, while in others, it could improve the transportation of people recovering. Walsh added that she also hoped to have one inmate in each jail in each county, as members of the criminal justice system were often highly exposed to the risk of overdose.

"The evidence generated by the HEALing Communities study will help communities across the country deal with the opioid crisis at the local level," said Nora D. Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute for Addressing Child Abuse. drugs (NIDA). "By testing and evaluating interventions where they are most needed, we hope to show how researchers, providers and communities can come together to finally end this devastating public health crisis."

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, US representatives Hall Rogers and Andy Barr all supported the UK grant application.

"Kentuckians in rural and urban communities continue to suffer the serious damage caused by drug addiction," McConnell said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Kentucky is one of the hardest hit states, but we are also at the forefront of the national response."

British President Eli Capilouto, who attended Thursday's press conference in Washington with Governor Matt Bevin, thanked federal and US politicians for their support. In particular, he named Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers for pushing lawmakers to fund the Kentucky Healthy Research Building, a project he believes will be instrumental in researching issues such as the abuse of drugs. 39; opioids. The $ 265 million Virginia Street building opened last fall with more than $ 132 million in funding from the General Assembly.

"By working in partnership at the federal and state levels, we have developed the intellectual talent and infrastructure to meet this challenge," said Capilouto. "Together with the state, we have the reach and partnerships at the grassroots level across our Commonwealth to develop and search for community-based solutions to a widespread and deadly challenge. It is now time to lead. The time has come to act. "

The last major grant from the university was a $ 25 million grant for mathematics and science education in the Appalachians.

Alex Elswick, a 28-year-old Lexington resident recovering from heroin addiction, who recently launched Voices of Hope, a non-profit organization that helps people with substance use disorders. opioids, also attended the press conference in Washington. Elswick said that during his long journey to recovery, he had never been offered medication-assisted treatment. He added that at age 28, he had attended more funerals than weddings and was scheduled to attend a classmate's funeral on Friday.

"HEAL has arrived too late for him, but he's just in time for the thousands of lives he's going to save," he said.