For years, Arizona’s substance-use system has relied on a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant. Last year Arizona received $49M.
The SAMHSA grant is uniquely valuable because it fills gaps in the system and can pay for community interventions like naloxone which quickly reverses opioid poisonings and is used by fire, law enforcement, comm unity providers, social workers, and teachers.
It also pays for community-based prevention programs, substance-use treatment for uninsured and underinsured people, recovery supports, early interventions, services for pregnant women with substance-use disorders, and outreach to people at highest risk of overdose.
This week Kennedy created a bunch of drama as he abruptly nearly $1.9B in various grants to states. No warning. No transition plan. No explanation. Then, a few hours later, SAHMSA sent notices out saying never mind. We’re not cutting the grants after all. Note: certain block grants, 988 suicide and crisis lifeline funding and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics were spared from the initial cut notices.
AHCCCS, who is the recipient of Arizona’s SAMHSA block grant reports that their sizeable ($49M) Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant was not impacted by the sudden termination and (follow-up recission of that termination). However, for those two days, Arizona (various state entities and providers) had lost the State Pilot Program for Treatment of Pregnant and Parenting Women (PPW-PLT), the Partnership for Success grant and the STOP Act grant (substance use prevention), and Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education), and special funding for naloxone.
Such is the state of governance and leadership at HHS these days.
