Local Health Care Providers To Receive Government Funds To Fight Drug Addiction
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Obama Administration is releasing $94 million through the Department of Health and Human services, to help fight the increasing plague of opioid and heroin addiction in this country. Two health care providers in our area are getting a chunk of that funding.
Of the $1.8 million coming to Pennsylvania, about $325,000 will go to Philadelphia based Public Health Management Corporation, which operates a number of community health programs. Pottstown, Montgomery County-based Community Health and Dental Care, Inc, gets $379,000.
Regulations limit the number of doctors who can prescribe addiction treatment medicines like methadone, and that makes it harder for addicts who need treatment. HHS Regional Director Joann Grossi says this funding is aimed at helping address that problem.
"Each health center that's receiving the money will be able to hire one full time equivalent, substance abuse provider," Grossi said. "Part of the money is specifically to hire trained providers, in addition to actually increasing the number of patients who get screened for substance abuse disorders, and connect them to treatment."
She said they're also focusing on increasing the use of naloxone, which can reverse opioid overdoses.
"We need to get it into the hands of more first responders, and anyone else who is likely to respond to an overdose," she explained.
Figures show more than 2,700 Pennsylvanians died of drug overdoses last year.
