California Continues Statewide Efforts to Combat the Opioid Crisis, Keep California Communities Safe, and Provide Recovery Resources
Yesterday, Governor Newsom Proposed New Investments to Reduce Overdoses, Support Recovery Efforts, Education, and More
SACRAMENTO – The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) today awarded $52 million to providers of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services. These funds will support the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of opioid and substance use disorders, as well as recovery.
“It is critical that treatment providers on the front lines of the opioid epidemic have the lifesaving resources they need, when they need them,” said Governor Newsom. “Today’s efforts, in coordination with the federal government, bolster our state’s multi-pronged approach to tackling this ongoing crisis and protecting as many Californians as possible.”
As part of the 2023-2024 state budget, Governor Newsom proposed additional investments to distribute naloxone, provide overdose medication to all middle and high schools, make test strips available, and grants for education, testing, recovery and support services.
Since coming into office, Governor Newsom has dedicated more than $1 Billion in funding to fight the opioid crisis: removing opioids from the streets, providing resources to California communities in need, and increasing education and awareness to prevent harm in the first place. Learn more about the statewide efforts here.
“The opioid epidemic is one of the biggest challenges facing California today,” said DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “The Administration is investing massive resources – more than a billion dollars – into a comprehensive response to the crisis, and the grant awards that we’re announcing today should go a long way toward helping treatment providers throughout California save lives.”
Today’s awards, of up to $1,848,000 each to 105 service providers, will fund the development and implementation of opioid and substance use disorder treatment “hubs” and “spokes” throughout California. The “hubs” may be narcotic treatment programs or other MAT providers; the “spokes” are federally approved office-based prescribers.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The timeline for this funding is January 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The funding comes from the State Opioid Response III grant, awarded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The State Opioid Response III is part of the California MAT Expansion Project which aims to increase access to MAT, reduce unmet treatment need, and reduce opioid overdose-related deaths by investing in opioid use disorder and substance use disorder services. It supports more than 20 projects in California, including a focus on increasing services for Black, Tribal and Urban Indian, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities; people experiencing homelessness; people in criminal justice settings; and youth.
To learn more about the California MAT Expansion project, visit https://californiamat.org
Today’s grant award is just one of several efforts by DHCS in recent months to tackle substance use disorder, including $12 million to tackle youth opioid use, $3.4 million to transform medical practices to address the opioid crisis, and $58.5 million for youth substance-use prevention.
###