NH Delegation Announces $525,000 to Boost Substance Use Disorder Response Services at Nashua’s Harbor Homes
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Nashua’s Harbor Homes $525,000 to boost the center’s integrated recovery support services for those impacted by substance use disorders. Just last week, Shaheen visited New Futures in Concord to discuss how the pandemic exacerbated the substance use disorder crisis and ongoing efforts in Congress to increase response relief to help providers on the frontlines. Additionally, Senator Hassan is leading bipartisan efforts to increase access to medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, and introduced bipartisan legislation to eliminate unnecessary barriers that make it more difficult for doctors to prescribe this lifesaving treatment.
“The substance use disorder epidemic has devastated New Hampshire communities for years, and tragically, COVID-19 exacerbated the crisis in our state. Our treatment centers and health care providers have experienced one public health emergency intensify another, which is why every federal dollar to help those treating substance use disorders counts. I’m glad to see this latest grant benefit the important work underway at Harbor Homes, specifically, its comprehensive approach to medication-assisted treatment,” said Senator Shaheen. “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds anti- opioid and methamphetamine programs, I’ll keep fighting to increase federal assistance so our communities have the federal relief they need to turn the tide on this crisis.”
“Medication-assisted treatment is proven to help those with substance use disorder get on the path to recovery, and this federal funding to Nashua’s Harbor Homes will play an important role in making sure that those who are struggling with addiction can access these essential resources,” said Senator Hassan. “I will keep working to secure funding to help our first responders and medical professionals continue to address this crisis that has devastated communities across our state, as well as keep pushing to expand access to medication-assisted treatment.”
“The evolving substance abuse crisis — exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic — has had far-reaching consequences in New Hampshire and across the country,” said Representative Kuster, member of the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee and founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction & Mental Health Task Force. “This federal funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will allow Harbor Homes to continue providing high-quality substance abuse treatment to Granite Staters in Nashua and the surrounding communities. I’ll continue working to bolster funding for prevention efforts and addiction treatment, as well as identify and implement meaningful solutions to address the opioid crisis.”
“As we address the ongoing substance use disorder epidemic, the importance of recovery centers across our state cannot be undervalued,” said Representative Chris Pappas. “This funding will support the health and wellbeing of our communities as we work to ensure that all those struggling with addiction and substance use disorder can access the treatment and support they need.”
“This funding is truly transformative to our organization and those we serve. This will enhance Medication Assisted Treatment to be one that adheres to the highest standards of integrated care, giving hundreds of community members struggling with opioid dependence the opportunity to enter into recovery, while addressing not only their treatment needs, but also their medical, behavioral and oral health care needs. More so, we will be able to address social determinants of health – things like access to safe and affordable housing and employment – in unique ways to better help patients gain stability and overall success. We are so excited for this incredible grant and look forward to sharing our outcomes with the community in the hopes that others throughout the state and country will be able to replicate this unique model of care,” said Peter Kelleher, President & CEO at Harbor Care.
Shaheen and Hassan have spearheaded crucial legislation and funding to stem the substance use disorder epidemic, including through Shaheen’s leadership on the pivotal Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which oversees funding for the Department of Justice and its related anti-opioid and methamphetamine programs. Shaheen supported the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 3.0 to help combat the opioid epidemic. In government funding legislation signed into law in 2020, Shaheen again included a key provision from the 2019 version of her legislation - Turn the Tide Act, which she has reintroduced this year and is cosponsored by Senator Hassan - to provide flexibility for treatment providers to use State Opioid Response (SOR) grant dollars to help patients suffering from meth and cocaine dependency, in addition to opioid use disorders. Shaheen wrote the provision in response to discussions with New Hampshire treatment providers. The FY2021 funding legislation also provided $1.5 billion in SOR grant funding, as well as the continuing of a 15 percent set-aside that Shaheen and Hassan fought to secure in 2018 for hard-hit states like New Hampshire. These combined efforts led to a more than tenfold increase in federal treatment and prevention funding for New Hampshire. Over the past four years, New Hampshire has received approximately $92 million from these grants Shaheen and Hassan helped secure to combat the opioid epidemic in the state, with the hardest-hit state set-aside responsible for the majority of those funds.
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