Nevada sees $9 million in federal money to address opioid epidemic

The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health will receive $1.2 million in federal money in addition to the already $8.24 million it received earlier this year to assist in Nevada’s battle against the opioid epidemic, Gov. Brian Sandoval said Thursday.

Each of these grants will help the state and stakeholder partners address the full spectrum of the opioid epidemic: identification of those most at risk by analyzing a wide variety of data including health and prescribing information, primary prevention of substance use, early intervention and referral to treatment, and ongoing treatment services, according to a news release.

These funds will further the efforts of Governor Brian Sandoval and First Lady Kathleen Sandoval by implementing the recommendations of the Prescription Drug Abuse Summit held in 2016 as well as Assembly Bill 474, passed and signed into law during the 2017 legislative session. This law made various changes related to reporting of drug overdoses and establishes prescribing protocols for all healthcare providers that are prescribing controlled substances for the treatment of pain.

“The State of Nevada is fully committed to eradicating the plague of prescription drug abuse from our community. I am grateful for the continued resources we have received from our federal partners. These funds will help make it possible for Nevada to implement the many recommendations that more than 500 stakeholders identified and prioritized as a result of last year’s Prescription Drug Abuse Summit,” said Sandoval. “I will reconvene the stakeholders group which included representatives from law enforcement, regulators, healthcare professionals and other industries who were originally tasked with the creation of the agenda for the Summit who will now ensure the state is accomplishing the set goals and objectives and, most importantly, providing services to the addicted and support for their families in order to confront and defeat this problem once and for all.”

“These grant funds are integral to coordinate Nevada’s response to the opioid crisis. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services remains committed to Governor Sandoval’s mission to aggressively stem the tide of prescription drug abuse, misuse and diversion and these grant awards will allow us to implement recently passed legislation and provide for an immediate positive impact for our citizens,” notes Nevada’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. John DiMuro.

A summary of the DPBH grants are as follows:
— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States: The purpose of this funding is to advance and evaluate comprehensive state-level interventions for preventing prescription drug overuse, misuse, abuse, and overdose. Priority interventions address drivers of the prescription drug overdose epidemic, particularly the misuse and inappropriate prescribing of opioid pain relievers. DPBH’s base award is $369,450, with an additional $789,182 starting on September 1st.

— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Enhanced State Surveillance of Opioid-Involved Morbidity and Mortality: This grant is focused on overdose morbidity and mortality data analysis with the majority of funds going to coroners and medical examiners. This is a new award for Nevada starting September 1st. DPBH will receive $387,763.

— Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Strategic Prevention Framework – Partnerships for Success: This is the last year DPBH will receive this grant. The focus of this grant is to prevent drug misuse among persons aged 12 to 25. Nevada will receive $2,207,505 for the final year of this project.

— Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis: This formula grant was awarded to Nevada in April and provides $5,663,328 to develop the infrastructure needed in the state to immediately address the initial and ongoing treatment needs of residents. This includes the purchase and distribution of naloxone statewide. More on this grant can be found here.

If you, or someone you know, needs to access resource to help with a substance abuse issue, please call 211 and they will assist you in finding help.