Combatting the Opioid Crisis a National Health Emergency – What it Means
The President today declared the effort to combat the opioid crisis a national health emergency. The issue has been quietly lurking for years across the nation, with more attention being paid to it on a federal level over the past couple of years.
This does not mean that extra funding will be immediately available for treatment, Naloxone, or inpatient detoxification. That is something for the US Congress to approve, and the call has been made to do it in this budget year.
It does instruct agencies under the Health and Human Services department to expand access to telemedicine in rural areas and to minimize red tape for releasing grant funds. It opens the door for grant funds to be redirected for these purposes.