Funds allotted to opioid management methods in Georgia |

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp announced the award of $13,081,929 from the state of Georgia’s settlement with McKinsey & Co. to be used to address the negative effects of opioid abuse and opioid control strategies invest. The funds will be used to expand the availability of drug-assisted treatment, increase the capacity of the detoxification service, promote stigma, increase access to naloxone for emergency services providers, and expand naloxone education to community providers.

“The opioid crisis has affected almost every family in Georgia, either directly or indirectly,” Kemp said. “We appreciate the Office of the Attorney General’s commitment to representing the interests of Georgians during this litigation and we look forward to ensuring these resources are used to help us tackle the scourge of opioid abuse in our community.” to help the state.”

Funds are distributed through memoranda of understanding between the Department of Justice, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Public Health.

“We are using all means at our disposal to protect Georgians and help our state recover from the devastating effects of the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “This includes holding accountable those who have contributed to this epidemic and securing much-needed resources for victims, families and communities already struggling with addiction. With the alarming increase in opioid overdoses during the pandemic, these tools will have an immediate impact, enabling our public health officials to connect even more Georgians to support services to recover and rebuild their lives.”

Breakdown of Recommendations:

♦ Improvement of drug-assisted treatment program: DBHDD; $4,750,000

♦ Capacity expansion for detoxification services: DBHDD; $3,250,000

♦ Awareness campaign to reduce stigma: DBHDD; $2,064,000

♦ Purchase of naloxone for EMS providers: DPH; $2,017,929

♦ Extension of naloxone training: DBHDD; $1,000,000

MAT is the use of FDA-approved medications combined with counseling, behavioral therapies, and social support to provide a holistic approach to the management of substance use disorders and opioid use. Benefits of MAT include reducing illicit drug use, morbidity rates, and patient overdose events. Additionally, MAT has been found to reduce criminal activity and arrests, as well as parole revocation and reincarceration, across the criminal justice system. By investing State Targeted Response and State Opioid Response grant funds from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, DBHDD has expanded MAT programs statewide. Although DBHDD currently contracts with 24 MAT providers, there are still gaps in access to services.

$4,750,000 will be made available by DBHDD to expand funding for MAT service providers, including providers not currently under contract with DBHDD, who already have the training, staffing capacity and capability to offer MAT. DBHDD also intends to commit funds to ensure the sustainability of MAT programs over a three to four year period.

DBHDD has contracted with three providers to provide medically supervised withdrawal management services, also known as detoxification services, to individuals when a bed in a crisis stabilization unit is unavailable or does not represent the most appropriate level of care for an individual. The purpose of detox is to provide medical supervision to safely manage withdrawal symptoms for people who have stopped using alcohol and certain drugs, especially opiates. $3,250,000 will enable DBHDD to contract detox beds with multiple existing detox service providers and invest in system capacity across the state. This increase in bed capacity will reduce the number of people waiting for treatment and increase those people’s chances of a successful recovery.

The stigma associated with opioid use disorder discourages individuals struggling with OUD from accessing services or engaging in recovery.

$2,064,000 will fund a two-year pilot program for DBHDD to launch a public awareness campaign to reduce stigma related to opioid use disorders statewide. The campaign includes formative research, stakeholder outreach and recruitment, campaign implementation and evaluation.

Emergency services personnel alerted DPH to the continuing need for naloxone kits. $2,017,929 will enable DPH to distribute approximately 326,000 naloxone kits to EMS providers.

$1,000,000 will support DBHDD’s current SOR-funded program to support education on naloxone administration and safety, particularly among community-based treatment and recovery providers. DBHDD will use this investment to focus on educating providers about addiction as a brain disease, creating and sustaining recovery cultures, and administering naloxone. In addition, the training will focus on bringing together providers from all levels of the substance use treatment continuum to improve service linkages and collaboration between providers.