Awards to Tackle Opioid Overdose Crisis

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) www.hrsa.gov recently awarded more than $200 million to 1,178 health centers and 13 rural health organizations in all of the states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin to increase access to substance abuse and mental health services.

The funds will support the expansion and integration of mental health and substance abuse services. These services focus on the treatment, prevention, and awareness of opioid abuse in the primary care setting by increasing personnel, leveraging health information technology, and providing appropriate training.

Nearly $3.3 million will go to support 13 rural health organizations to increase access to treatment and recovery services of opioid abuse under the Rural Health Opioid Program (RHOP).

Also, the Substance Abuse Treatment Telehealth Network Grant Program (SAT-TNGP) will provide approximately $670,000 for three organizations to use evidence-based telehealth programs and networks to improve access to substance abuse treatment in rural, frontier, and underserved communities.

The SAT-TNGP award recipients include Union Hospital, Terre haute Indiana $17,400, Avera Health Sioux Falls South Dakota $249,100, and West Brook Health Services in Parkesburg West Virginia for $249,800.