Groups Urge Additional Funding for Substance Use Disorders Amid Pandemic
The Addiction Policy Forum, a national nonprofit working to eliminate addiction as a major health condition, led a sign on letter of 47 organizations requesting supplemental funding for programs that support people and families struggling with substance use disorders.
Health officials have increasingly sounded the alarm that the more than 20 million Americans suffering from a substance use disorder may be more vulnerable than others to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Officials have identified those with opioid and methamphetamine use disorders, and those who smoke or vape to be at an increased risk for developing more severe systems because of COVID-19’s attacks on the respiratory tract.
This letter, sent to the respective leaders of both parties in the House and Senate, outlines suggested funding priorities in the next iteration of a COVID-19 response package. Specifically, this letter calls for an increase in funding to four programs, the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP), the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program for State Prisoners (RSAT), the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, the Drug Free Communities Program and for the passage of the Family Support Services for Addiction Act (H.R. 5572/S. 3179).
The letter, and its signatories, can be found here.