Senator Hassan Applauds Approval of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Application for Federal Opioid Response Grants

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan applauded federal approval of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’s application for $22.9 million in federal opioid response grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which the Senator and the Congressional Delegation helped secure.

As members of the Common Sense Caucus, Senators Hassan and Shaheen helped secure an additional $6 billion in federal funding to combat the deadly fentanyl, heroin, and opioid epidemic, including a dedicated portion set aside for states hardest-hit by the epidemic such as New Hampshire. Senators Hassan and Shaheen also played a significant role in helping to change the funding formula under which SAMHSA distributes these grants so that states like New Hampshire with the highest mortality rates get their fair share. Due to these efforts, New Hampshire will receive $22.9 million in additional federal funding to combat the opioid epidemic for fiscal year 2018, and another $22.9 million for fiscal year 2019. New Hampshire was also approved for an additional $3.6 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support prevention efforts, as well as $2.8 million from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) for access points across the Granite State, bringing the total federal funding for New Hampshire to combat the opioid crisis to $30.1 million for fiscal year 2018.

“It is long past time that Granite Staters on the front lines of the deadly fentanyl, heroin, and opioid epidemic have the federal resources that they need to combat this crisis and help save lives,” Senator Hassan said. “I applaud the approval of New Hampshire’s application for these federal grants, but our work is far from over. This crisis did not happen overnight, and we know that it will take a continuous and sustained investment at the federal level to curb – and ultimately reverse – the tide of this horrific epidemic. I will keep working every day to ensure that all Granite Staters struggling with addiction have the support they need to get on the road to recovery.”

Earlier this week, the Senate voted to approve a bipartisan package of bills to combat the opioid crisis, which included the Opioid Crisis Response Act that Senator Hassan helped develop as a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, as well as other key measures that the Senator either authored or cosponsored to strengthen prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts. For more details on the legislation, click here.

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