Michigan Announces $80M For Opioids Crisis Response

MICHIGAN — The state has announced that $80 million in federal funding will be allocated to Michigan to help the state respond to the ongoing opioid crisis. The funding will support prevention, treatment and harm reduction services, with a focus on evidence-based practices that save lives, officials said in a news release.

The funding includes $36.4 million from the new State Opioid Response II grant and $43.1 million from an extension of the current State Opioid Response I grant.

“The opioid epidemic has devastated families across Michigan, and we must continue to do everything we can to end it. This funding will help prevent more opioid deaths and help those struggling with addiction recover," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said.

Over the last five years, opioid overdoses have killed 8,000 Michiganders, according to state officials. In 2018, five people died on average every day from opioid overdoses. The crisis has become even more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said, with calls to emergency medical services for opioid overdose 22 percent higher from April to July 2020 than during the same period in 2019.

The SOR II grant begins Sept. 30 and continues for two years. MDHHS also received approval to extend the SOR I grant for a third year from Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021.

“Opioid overdose continues to be an ongoing crisis in Michigan and MDHHS is acting with utmost urgency to expand services that save lives, including medications to treat opioid use disorder and naloxone, the life-saving opioid reversal medication,” Michigan's Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said. “We urge local governments, health providers, law enforcement and organizations around the state to partner with us in this vital mission.”

Officials said funding from the SOR I and SOR II grants will deepen the state’s investment in the most effective tools to reduce overdose deaths, including widespread naloxone distribution and expanding access to medications to treat opioid use disorder.

The grants will support start-up costs for new and expanding treatment providers offering medications, as well as providing free training and clinical supports. A new program will seek to increase retention in treatment by offering incentives to patients who attend consistently.

A focus of SOR II will be improving medical care following an overdose by making medications to treat opioid use disorder available in emergency departments and creating follow-up programs to conduct wellness checks on overdose survivors. Other steps to reduce harm from the opioid crisis, including distributing sterile syringes, building trust with individuals actively using substances and conducting extensive naloxone distribution, will continue to expand as well, according to the state.