HHS Awards $79.1 Million in Grants for Overdose Prevention, Treatment

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is awarding $79.1 million in overdose prevention funding to address the opioid and overdose epidemic.

The total amount comprises:

• $14.5 million for the  First Responders-Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Support Services Act, which provides resources to first responders and others to train, carry and administer federally approved drugs and devices for emergency reversals of known or suspected opioid overdoses; 

• $7.1 million for rural emergency medical services (EMS) training grants, which help rural areas recruit and train EMS personnel with a focus on addressing mental and substance use disorders; 

• $8.2 million to implement targeted strategies for the provision of opioid use disorder (OUD) or co-occurring disorder harm reduction, treatment and/or recovery support services to support an under-resourced population or unmet need identified by the community; 

• $1.5 million to provide resources to train graduate-level students in medical, physician assistant, nurse practitioner and other eligible nursing programs in treating OUD and in prescribing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in office-based settings; 

• $12.1 million to provide pregnant and postpartum women and their children with comprehensive OUD treatment and recovery support services across residential and outpatient settings;  

• $3 million for the Strategic Prevention Framework for Prescription Drugs grant program, which provides funds for state agencies, territories and tribal entities to target prescription drug misuse. The program raises awareness about the dangers of sharing medications, fake or counterfeit pills sold online, and overprescribing; and 

• $32.7 million to help expand and enhance access to MOUD and to decrease illicit opioid use and prescription opioid misuse.

According to CDC data, more than 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021, an increase of more than 15% from 2020.

“Americans today are facing a mounting national crisis of mental health and substance use. We have been traveling across the country, as part of the National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health, to listen and learn about how HHS can support local communities with these issues,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “To address overdose prevention, HHS is working to expand access across the full continuum—prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery supports—in an effort to help save lives.”