State receives $16.37M grant to fight opioid addiction

Michigan has received more than $16 million in federal funds to help reduce opioid use and abuse across the state.

“The addiction epidemic continues to impact families in every community across our state and across this country,” said  Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. “Michigan is making strides in the fight against addiction and this grant will help us bring those efforts to the next level, helping more families find the support they need to prevent and treat addiction.”

The funding was awarded to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grant administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

The STR grant will be used to promote prevention and increase access to treatment by funding State of Michigan initiatives, including: the Michigan Automated Prescription System; development of a statewide awareness campaign; Michigan-OPEN research through the University of Michigan; Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT); prevention services and strategies; improving the availability of Naloxone; increasing peer supports, tribal supports, and support of law enforcement; providing a new model for re-entry services; collaboration with university partners on re-entry, evaluation, and research opportunities.

From 1999 to 2014, Michigan saw a four-fold increase in unintentional fatal drug poisonings, and was ranked 10th in the nation in per capita prescribing rates of opioid pain relievers in 2012.

Calley led the Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force in 2015.

In 2016, Gov. Rick Snyder created the Michigan Drug and Opioid Abuse Commission to implement the task force’s recommendations to combat the opioid epidemic and ensure the health and safety of Michigan residents.

Snyder and Calley recently joined with a bicameral and bipartisan group of legislators to announce next legislative steps in a primary prevention strategy to better monitor controlled substances and prevent addiction from occurring in the first place.

For information about substance abuse and mental health in Michigan, including local resources for treatment, visit www.michigan.gov/bhrecovery.