October 28, 2021
Opioid/Substance Use Disorders
  • HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced a new federal overdose prevention strategy that prioritizes primary prevention, harm reduction, evidence-based treatment, and recovery support. The strategy supports the department’s commitment to helping historically underserved populations and recognizes that the full continuum of integrated care and services are needed to help prevent substance use, expand quality treatment, and sustain recovery from substance use disorders. (Press release here; Articles here and here)
  • Greg Williams, a managing director at Third Horizon Strategies, authored a new blog discussing the confounding problem in addressing the addiction epidemic in America that can’t be solved if the U.S. continues to invest funds as it has done historically. Pointing to recent SAMHSA data that found that approximately one million people who thought they needed SUD services did not seek them due to health coverage/affordability concerns and not being able to find a program that offered the kind of treatment they wanted, Greg states that the financing mechanisms of current treatment service options are a main barrier to people receiving treatment. He also discusses how the Addiction Recovery Medical Home addresses the confounding problem by creating the financial pathway for providers to develop creative and innovative care models that can be responsive to what individuals seeking care want, need, and can afford. (Blog here)