MENTAL HEALTH
SAMHSA INITIATIVE AND THE University
of Louisville School of Medicine
Christopher Stewart, MD
A
lex M. Azar II, Secretary of Health and Human Services
(HHS), in a recent public address announced that
the number of opioid overdose deaths has plateaued
in the United States. Here is part of his address from
10/23/18:
“We are seeing a number of positive signs. Since President
Trump took office in January 2017, the number of patients receiv-
ing buprenorphine, one form of medication-assisted treatment,
has increased by 21 percent, while the number of prescriptions for
naltrexone, another form of medication-assisted treatment, has
increased by 47 percent. In the same time, the number of naloxone
prescriptions dispensed monthly has increased by 368 percent.
From 2015 to 2017, we have seen a statistically significant decline
in the number of Americans who misuse prescription opioids. And
from 2016 to 2017, the number of Americans initiating heroin use
declined by a statistically significant margin as well. Most important
of all, we are starting to see more encouraging results in overdose
trends. The number of Americans dying from drug overdoses has
risen steadily since 1999, and skyrocketed since 2010. From 2016
18
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
to 2017, the number of Americans dying from drug overdoses rose
from 64,000 to approximately 72,000. But toward the end of 2017,
through the beginning of 2018, the number of drug overdose deaths
has begun to plateau. According to provisional data from the CDC,
the seemingly relentless trend of rising overdose deaths seems to
be finally bending in the right direction. Plateauing at such a high
level is hardly an opportunity to declare victory. But the concerted
efforts of communities across America are beginning to turn the
tide. Everyone involved in fighting this crisis should know: Your
hard work is having results and saving lives. We are so far from the
end of the epidemic, but we are perhaps, at the end of the beginning.”
The end of the beginning… SAMHSA, or the Substance Abuse
Mental Health Services Administration, an arm of HHS, announced
in September of this year the release of nearly one billion dollars
in federal funding being made available to the states through State
Opiate Response (SOAR) grants. These monies are meant to support
a comprehensive response to the opioid epidemic and expand access
to treatment and recovery support services. According to SAMHSA,
the grants aim to “Address the opioid crisis by increasing access