State gets $8M federal grant to address opioid abuse
Funds will be used to improve treatment, prescribing practices
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state has received a two-year, $8 million federal grant to combat opioid abuse in the state.
The funds are about of more than $1 billion in opioid-specific grants doled out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week.
“No state is immune from this public health issue,” said Dr. Bruce Anderson, director of the state Department of Health. “This grant provides another step in a positive direction for Hawaii to implement HHS’ comprehensive five-pronged strategy to address opioid misuse across our islands.”
Hawaii’s opioid death rates have historically been lower than the national rate, but the figures have been on the rise.
In 2016, there were 77 opioid-related overdose deaths in Hawaii — a rate of 5.2 deaths per 100,000 persons.
“We should not look at these figures and let our guard down; we must continue the momentum that we have begun in Hawaii,” said Edward Mersereau, chief of the Health Department’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. “In Hawaii, drug overdose deaths account for nearly a quarter of all fatal injuries, which include deaths from prescription opioids.”
The new federal funds will go to modernizing health care strategies and access to treatment, improving prescribing practices, and bolstering data collection.
Copyright 2018 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.