Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar announced HHS will soon provide $485 million in grants to help states and territories address the heroin and opioid abuse crisis. Indiana will receive $10.9 million. Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks provided the following statement:
Brooks
“The opioid and heroin crisis continues to wreak havoc in our communities, forever changing the lives of far too many Hoosiers and people across the country. With this second round of grant funding designated to Indiana thanks to the 21st Century Cures Act, a greater sense of hope is provided to those who are suffering from substance abuse, as well as to the families, law enforcement, first responders and medical personnel who are on the front lines working to save lives and provide treatment to all affected by this epidemic. While this is good news, more must still be done to provide Americans relief, and I remain committed to working with community leaders in Indiana and my colleagues in Congress to end this public health crisis.”
Background
This is the second round of funding provided for in the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law with Brooks’ support. The grants will be provided through the Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). To combat the ongoing opioid crisis, HHS has prioritized five specific strategies: strengthening public health surveillance, advancing the practice of pain management, improving access to treatment and recovery services, targeting availability and distribution of overdose-reversing drugs, and supporting cutting-edge research. More information about the first round of funding can be found here.
In 2016, Brooks served on the conference committee comprised of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate that negotiated the final details of comprehensive legislation to curb opioid and heroin abuse, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which was signed into law. In addition, Brooks helped lead efforts to pass the 21st Century Cures Act. The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America presented Brooks with their 2016 Congressional Leadership Award in recognition of her efforts to address the heroin and opioid epidemic.
Recently, Brooks introduced a bipartisan bill – which was discussed during an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing – that works to combat the opioid epidemic by reauthorizing funding for poison control center’s toll-free number. Poison control centers are an important part of the solution and are already on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. H.R. 5329, the Poison Center Network Enhancement Act of 2018, clarifies that poison control centers can be called upon to assist with public health emergencies, responses and preparedness; requests that enhanced communications capabilities like texting be established; requests the FCC work with HHS to ensure calls to the 1-800 number are properly routed; and directs HHS to implement call routing based on the caller’s actual location to ensure timely responses. More information can be found here.