U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces Over $1.7 Million to Help Fight Opioid Epidemic in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With drug overdose deaths on the rise in Wisconsin, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin announced today that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded over $1.7 million dollars to community health centers in Wisconsin to help fight the opioid epidemic. The funding will expand the delivery of substance abuse services, including medication assisted treatment, with a focus on treatment of opioid use disorders.

“This significant investment will help Wisconsin’s community health centers that are fighting this crisis on the front lines expand access to crucial lifesaving treatment for residents across the Badger State. These resources are vital to our healthcare providers as they continue to respond to this national emergency. In the Senate, I’m fighting to increase federal investments to ensure Wisconsin can receive more funding to address the opioid and heroin crisis,” said Senator Baldwin.

The funding will be distributed among five community health centers in Wisconsin including:

• MILWAUKEE: 16^th Street Community Health Center, Inc. | $352,083
• MILWAUKEE: Outreach Community Health Centers, Inc. | $325,000
• MARSHFIELD: Family Health Center of a Marshfield Inc. | $406,250
• IRON RIVER: The Lakes Community Health Center, Inc. | $325,000
• MADISON: Madison Community Health Center, Inc. | $325,000

Administered by the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), these awards to health centers across the country will increase the number of patients screened for substance use disorders and connected to treatment, increase the number of patients with access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use and other substance use disorder treatment, and provide training and educational resources to help health professionals make informed prescribing decisions.  

This week, the Senate passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), cosponsored by Senator Baldwin, which would provide a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to help Americans combat the heroin and opioid epidemic devastating communities in Wisconsin and across America.

Last week, Senator Baldwin introduced an amendment to CARA that would have enacted President Obama’s budget request and provide for about $1.1 billion in new funding to address the prescription opioid abuse and heroin use epidemic. Consistent with the President's Fiscal Year 2017 Budget, this amendment included $1 billion in new mandatory funding to expand access to treatment and recovery services for opioid use disorders, support the placement of substance use disorder treatment providers in the communities most in need of behavioral health providers, and continue to build the evidence base for effective treatment programs. This funding would boost efforts to help individuals with an opioid use disorder to seek treatment, successfully complete treatment, and sustain recovery.