SAMHSA Announces Funding Opportunities for Grants Addressing Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder Treatment on Multiple Fronts

Friday, January 13, 2023

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) for five grant programs aimed at preventing substance misuse and treating substance use disorder (SUD) throughout the nation. The grant opportunities total about $73.4 million and align with the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to address the nation's addiction and overdose crises.

Preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 102,429 people died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending in July 2022. There has been a steady slowing of the rate of increase in overdose deaths for the tenth month in a row, and a decrease in 12-month rolling totals for the fifth month in a row.

According to SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), in 2021, 46.3 million people 12 or older (or 16.5 percent of the population) met the applicable Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for having a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 29.5 million people who were classified as having an alcohol use disorder and 24 million people who were classified as having a drug use disorder. Additionally, 9.2 million people 12 or older misused opioids in the past year. The percentage of people who were classified as having a past-year SUD, including alcohol use and/or drug use disorder, was higher among young adults ages 18 to 25, compared with adults 26 or older. In 2021, 94 percent of people 12 or older with a substance use disorder did not receive any treatment. Nearly all people with an SUD who did not get treatment at a specialty facility did not think they needed treatment.

"SAMHSA's grant funding helps break the cycles of substance misuse that contribute to America's addiction and overdose crises," said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. "These grant programs present opportunities on a range of dimensions to increase access to services and supports for families and individuals in the areas of substance use prevention and treatment."

The five grant programs are:

• Grants to Expand Substance Use Disorder Treatment Capacity in Adult and Family Treatment Drug Courts (SAMHSA Treatment Drug Courts) - $32.4 million - This expands SUD treatment and recovery support services in existing drug courts. The program recognizes the need for treatment instead of incarceration for certain individuals who have SUDs.
• Adult Reentry Program - $13 million - This program expands SUD treatment and related recovery and reentry services to adults in the criminal justice system who have an SUD and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders, who are returning to their families and communities after being incarcerated in state and local facilities including prisons, jails or detention centers.
• Medication-Assisted Treatment - Prescription Drug and Opioid Addiction Grant Program (MAT-PDOA) - $18.2 million - This program provides resources to help expand or enhance access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). This program will help to increase the number of people who receive MOUD for their opioid use disorders and decrease illicit opioid use and prescription opioid misuse.
• Emergency Department Alternatives to Opioids Program (ED-ALT) - $6.8 million - This program develops and implements alternatives to opioids for pain management in hospitals and emergency department settings.
• Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act (STOP Act) Grants - $3 million - This program works to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth and young adults ages 12-20 in communities throughout the United States. The program addresses norms regarding alcohol use by youth, reduces opportunities for underage drinking, creates changes in underage drinking enforcement efforts, addresses penalties for underage use, and reduces negative consequences associated with underage drinking (e.g., motor vehicle crashes, sexual assaults).

Anyone in the United States seeking treatment for substance use issues should call SAMHSA's National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.gov.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.