Activating Philanthropic Support of General Addiction Issues in the U.S.
Written by Sarah Twardock & Edited by Kristen Ward
The opioid and overdose epidemics predate the COVID-19 pandemic, yet, the problem is worsening. Early CDC data suggests that the COVID pandemic has contributed to over 81,000 overdose deaths, a record number—as a result of our increased isolation, economic stressors, declining mental health, and decreased access to services. With substance use disorders (SUDs) inextricably linked to our mental and physical health, strategic SUD policy action will be needed to improve well-being in the U.S. at large.
Over the past several years, Congress, federal agencies, and the states, have moved to increase the number of providers who can treat SUDs, expand coverage for evidence-based treatment, and standardize the quality of services. Major federal legislation like the 2018 SUPPORT Act, the billions of dollars allocated to states every year to address the opioid epidemic in local communities, and HHS’s recent removal of the special licensing requirement for physicians to prescribe buprenorphine (an effective medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)), can all help shift our grave reality and provide more people with services that work, when they need them. But, amid current calls to increase investment in infrastructure, services, and financing for harm reduction, addiction, and opioids specifically, greater engagement is needed across sectors if we are truly to meet people where they are and consistently provide care that can transform and save lives.
Philanthropy is essential to accelerating these changes, strengthening the national response to substance use disorders, and filling in gaps left by the public and private sectors. Philanthropy should take action to:
Advance strategic SUD research and policy development
Support advocacy by SUD patient-centered groups
Fund direct supports for SUD service providers and patients
Read the full piece here.
