Faso Highlights Federal Opioid Funding Released to States, $25M for New York
Washington D.C. – Congressman John Faso (R-Kinderhook) highlighted the second year of funding for states and territories released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) grants were originally established by the passing of the 21st Century Cures Act and are administered through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within HHS.
The state of New York is slated to receive $25 million as part of this round of funding. The grant money addresses the opioid crisis by increasing access to treatments, reducing outstanding treatment needs, and reducing overdoses deaths through increased education, treatment, and recovery efforts.
“Opioid abuse is a genuine epidemic and a national crisis,” said Faso. “At home, I’ve spoken to far too many people who have had friends, family, or co-workers succumb to opioid addiction. I have also met with local authorities, treatment specialists, and law enforcement officials that are on the front lines of fighting this epidemic to facilitate their input on how to address this crisis. Their message to me is that they need support and funds to operate the programs that are making a difference. This round of grant funding is just one more tool to utilize in our efforts to help New York families, heal our communities, and stem this crisis.”
An additional round of funding will be released in September of 2018. More details on New York’s proposal to utilize the grant funding is available here (page 35).
Background
- Congressman Faso previously sent a letter to OMD Director Mick Mulvaney urging the department to submit a comprehensive funding proposal to combat the opioid crisis.
- Congressman Faso is a leading advocate for passage of the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act. The STOP Act would help curb the opioid crisis by cracking down on synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, reaching the United States through postal shipments.
- Rep. Faso wrote an op-ed in the Poughkeepsie Journal highlighting why passing this bill is so important.
- Congressman Faso previously led a letter urging the House Appropriations Committee to robustly fund mental health programs, including sections within the 21st Century Cures Act, in the omnibus package.
- The Omnibus package contained $2.3 billion in new funding for mental health programs, including 30 sections of the 21st Century Cures Act.