(The Center Square) – The next batch of grants from Pennsylvania’s opioid settlement fund will flow to more than a dozen groups that help residents living with substance abuse disorders.
In total, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs awarded $6 million to 19 organizations, that provide outreach to underrepresented communities across the state.
“Trends in drug overdose deaths show widening disparities between demographic groups, both in Pennsylvania and nationally,” DDAP Acting Secretary Dr. Latika Davis-Jones said in a press release. “Communities of color are experiencing disproportionally higher rates of overdose deaths and are less likely to receive substance use treatment or supports.”
Organizations can use the money for addiction services and educational outreach to those at risk of misusing opioids. Pennsylvania will receive more than $1 billion over 18 years, and the state budget appropriated $16.5 million to DDAP for 2022-23.
In February, the department awarded $9 million in grants for addiction-related crisis services, and also plans to use funds for assistance in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood, which has been called an open-air drug market.
One group receiving the latest round of funding will spend it to support its treatment efforts, as well as filling other gaps that affect recovery.
“Milestone intends to use (the funding) to bolster up its behavioral health department, specifically its outpatient — which is licensed for drug and alcohol as well as mental health,” said Jordan Coughlen, executive director of Milestone Centers in Pittsburgh. “Additionally, we’re going to be infusing culturally competent resources and other supplies in our Chain of Hope drop-in center, which is a community drop-in center, and also a food bank.”
Milestone is a subsidiary of the Partners for Quality Foundation, which received a DDAP grant of “close to $400,000.”
A lack of connection, Coughlen argued, is a major driver of opioid abuse.
“We really want to just start by building connections in the community and further using these funds to create and enhance culturally competent care,” he said. “Milestone will be using these funds to support the workforce that will be engaging the community and, hopefully, offering specialized training with staff.”
Coughlen said Milestone also wants to expand access to the opioid-reversing drug Narcan and lower medication costs for those dealing with substance abuse disorder.
“This grant just provides an opportunity to support efforts that we’ve started long ago,” he said.
In Berks County, Tower Health’s Reading Hospital said it will soon receive a grant to build on its existing programs. The facility requested a $400,000 grant, but officials said they won’t know the final amount until the end of the month.
“The whole idea behind the grant here is to make access to treatment easier for populations that perhaps struggled with it in the past,” said Valerie Chandler, project manager for the Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence. “We are specifically looking at minority populations of color: How do we get those populations to the treatment that they need and make those barriers easier to hurdle?”
Helping patients deal with non-health issues like transportation, childcare, finding a job, and finding housing are all problems that can make it harder to get someone into recovery, she said.
“Part of our grant funds will be used (for) education and awareness, maybe some campaigning, utilizing social media, partnering with community-based organizations that serve this population to really get the message out there that it’s okay to get treatment,” said Desha Dickson, vice president for DEI and community wellness.
The stigma people face for seeking treatment, too, is a barrier.
“Stigma is still there and that’s why it’s really difficult for people to raise their hand up to say they need help before they hit rock bottom,” Dickson said.
Grant recipients said the public should temper its expectations over what the funding will do.
“Recovery is not a one-size-fits-all experience; something that works for one person may not work for another,” Coughlen said. “It’s incumbent upon us as community providers to really identify what is going to work for each individual and then walking alongside them as they discover that there are many pathways to recovery.”
The money was awarded through DDAP’s competitive grant process and final agreements will be made available on the Pennsylvania Treasury’s contract database after budget meetings “in the coming weeks,” a department spokeswoman said.
For those dealing with a substance use disorder, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has a confidential hotline to connect Pennsylvanians to treatment options regardless of insurance: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
