On September 23, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the distribution of funds for the State Opioid Response (SOR) III grant program. California will receive approximately $107 million per year for two years, for a total of $214 million.
As a part of its continued effort to address the opioid crisis, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is investing these funds in prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery through the California Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion Project. DHCS will integrate other funding sources into the MAT Expansion Project as well, including State General Funds and Opioid Settlement Funds.
The grants will fund over 20 projects, many of which have continued from the prior Fiscal Year 2018 and 2020 State Targeted Response (STR) and SOR grants. Major efforts underway in California include:
- California Youth Opioid Response (YOR): The YOR Project works with local communities, service providers, and other stakeholders to prevent and reduce opioid and stimulant misuse, use disorders, and overdose deaths among youth.
- Tribal MAT Project: The Tribal MAT Project is designed to meet the specific opioid use disorder (OUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery needs of California’s Tribal and Urban Indian communities. The project includes naloxone distribution and training, local tribal opioid coalitions, and training initiatives for providers offering services in tribal areas, among other culturally informed prevention, treatment, and recovery activities.
- CA Bridge: The CA Bridge Program is developing hospitals and emergency rooms into primary access points for the treatment of substance use disorder. The program also connects individuals to medication for OUD in the emergency room, followed by ongoing care in the community.
- Hub & Spoke System (H&SS): The H&SS Project provides treatment and recovery services in Regional Centers of Excellence across the state.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use, find help at ChooseMAT.org.