Harm Reduction Services to Get $30 Million in First-Ever Federal Funding

NOT ALL FOR MAT? –

March 16, 2021 – Though the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will have to more thoroughly detail the list of programs eligible to receive the funds, the legislation states that grants will be given to help control the spread of infectious diseases (like HIV and hepatitis C), distribute overdose reversal medications (like naloxone) and provide overdose education, among other uses.

“The money couldn’t come at a more critical time given what we know about the worsening overdose crisis during the pandemic and economic downturn,” Smith said. “Given what we know in terms of talking with providers around the country and hearing that they’ve lost revenue, lost staff during the pandemic and economic downturn. Many have seen cuts to their revenue sources.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the overdose crisis deadlier.Between June 2019 and May 2020, more than 81,000 people died from overdose, according to figures released in December by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People are using more, and in isolation—and in the absence of robust harm reduction services like syringe service programs, they’re more likely to reuse supplies like syringes and stems, elevating risk of transmitting HIVand hepatitis C.

Weekly overdose visits to emergency departments also rose drastically in 2020. While the total number of ED visits dropped precipitously, weekly ED trips linked to overdose were as much as 45 percent higher than in 2019.