White House announces new money to fight opioid epidemic

The Obama administration on Wednesday announced $53 million in grants to states to help fight the epidemic of opioid abuse. 

{mosads}The funds are part of an ongoing administration effort to fight a rising tide of overdose deaths from prescription painkillers and heroin. There were 28,000 deaths in 2014, more than any year on record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The grants include $11 million for 11 states to expand access to medication assisted treatment, which combines therapy and medication to fight addiction. 

There is also $11.5 million that will help 14 states expand prescription drug monitoring programs that track patients’ history of prescriptions in order to identify possible cases of addiction or abuse. 

Additional funds will go to expanding access to naloxone, a drug that treats overdoses. 

Administration officials emphasized, though, that this funding is not enough and pressured Congress to approve the $1.1 billion that the White House has requested to expand the availability of treatment for addiction. 

Congress passed a bill this year, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), that authorizes grants for the same areas. Democrats have criticized the bill for being inadequate and not guaranteeing funding. Republicans have pointed to money coming through the regular appropriations process. 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell said on a call with reporters Tuesday that CARA “does not provide the funding for treatment that is necessary to address this epidemic.”