U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith announced that Mississippi is in line to receive another $7.5 million in federal funding to address opioid abuse prevention and recovery work initiatives.
The State Opioid Response Grant program funding is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to improve access to opioid treatment, recovery, and prevention programs.
“This funding will allow Mississippi to more effectively respond to opioid abuse,” Hyde-Smith said. “These drugs are dangerous and the state is right to focus on overcoming their terrible toll on families and our communities.”
The funding is the second share of FY2018 funding appropriated to help states combat opioid abuse. The Mississippi Department of Mental Health Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services was awarded $3.58 million in opioid funding in April.
Congress increased FY2018 appropriations for SAMHSA to combat the opioid epidemic and reduce opioid-related deaths nationwide. Funding was also provided to other federal agencies to address crime and other social problems created by opioids, which President Trump has declared a national emergency.
Hyde-Smith serves on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that will set FY2019 funding for HHS and the ongoing federal effort to help states overcome opioid abuse problems. The subcommittee is expected to take up the FY2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill the week of June 25.
