Biden administration awards $1.3 million to Arkansas for overdose response

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced Thursday (Aug. 31) $1.3 million in awards to rural Arkansas communities to respond to the overdose risk from fentanyl and other opioids.

Today’s announcement includes the following investments in Arkansas:

· Expanding Access to Medication to Treat Opioid Use Disorder: $1,000,000 will support one award to rural communities to establish treatment sites for individuals to access medications to treat opioid use disorder.

· Supporting Rural Communities in Preventing and Responding to Overdoses: $300,000 will support one award to help rural communities respond to their specific and immediate needs, including the distribution of life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications.

This is a competitive awards process, according to HRSA.

Applicants apply to HRSA for the funding. HRSA reviews the applications to ensure they meet the eligibility requirements spelled out in the “Notice of Funding Opportunity.” At that point, a review committee of experts outside of the government scores the applications. The scores are then put in a rank order and funding is awarded to the highest scoring entities until the funding is exhausted.

“Far too many rural families have faced the devastation of overdose, and these deaths are felt deeply across rural communities — where often everyone knows someone lost too soon,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “At the Health Resources and Services Administration, we know that funding based on population size or other broad-based rubrics can miss the vital treatment and response needs of rural communities. That’s why the investments we are announcing today are targeted to rural communities and tailored to the unique challenges of helping rural health care leaders expand access to treatment and build recovery pathways to prevent overdose.”