September 17, 2018
By: Vice Adm. Jerome M. Adams M.D., M.P.H.,
Surgeon General of the United States
Summary:
Surgeon General Adams
says participation by the faith-based community is critical in national efforts
to prevent and treat opioid misuse.
71,568.
That’s the number of
Americans the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates we lost to
opioids and other drug overdoses in 2017.
As your Surgeon General,
I am tasked with helping to educate, equip and engage Americans in every
community, along with our local, state and federal governments and our
private-sector partners to promote better health and to respond to our nation’s
public health challenges. One of the biggest public health challenges of our
time is the opioid addiction crisis ravaging our communities.
Everywhere I go, I
affirm my deeply held conviction that we are stronger together, that we can —
and must — achieve “Better health through better partnerships.”
The opioid crisis is an
all-hands-on-deck emergency, so we need to harness the powerful resources of
everyone who has a stake in health, including governments, healthcare
providers, law enforcement, businesses, community organizations and
philanthropies. Here, I’ll talk about the special talents and calling of the
faith community.
Faith organizations,
service providers and communities are motivated by a calling to serve their
neighbors. The participation of faith communities in the nationwide fight
against drug abuse is critical to preventing and treating opioid misuse—and to
supporting individuals in long-term recovery. Faith partners have
demonstrated a culture of compassion for individuals struggling with addiction
and have helped countless Americans overcome their drug dependence.
In support of the
service of faith and community partners, HHS is working to remove barriers to
care. Just last month, the HHS Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives
(The Partnership Center) reached out to key stakeholders around the nation to
affirm that states may use State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funds to support
substance use disorder services by faith organizations.
Additionally, the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has
supported this outreach with a Frequently Asked Questions addendum - PDF that
makes it clear that states are allowed to use a portion of their funds through
indirect funding or voucher programs to support the work of the faith community
in addressing substance use disorders.
This guidance can
enhance client choice and increase program participation by a variety of
groups, including faith partners. Likewise, these same social service providers
can choose to enhance their substance abuse services through the state’s
portion of the new SOR grants. This freedom to select the service provider
that’s best for the client is a win-win-win—for the state, for faith providers,
and for patients and their families.
The Trump administration
values the service of faith and social service providers. The restorative work
being performed in communities across the nation is key to the treatment,
recovery and prevention processes, as they:
·
Provide and encourage
access to treatment, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
·
Offer recovery services,
such as recovery housing, employment readiness, recovery coaching, and
workforce development.
·
Promote peer
certification programs.
·
Employ critical
strategies, such as administering naloxone and promoting prevention of
substance use by adults and youth.
In order for us to
tackle this crisis, we need partnerships and collaborations. By working
together, including with faith-based
organizations, we can overcome this opioid crisis and create a brighter future.
https://www.hhs.gov/blog/2018/09/17/bringing-hope-and-healing-in-the-midst-of-the-opioid-crisis.html
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