Heinrich, Luján, Leger Fernández Announce Over $1.5 Million to Fight Opioid Epidemic and Substance Abuse in New Mexico
SANTA FE – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) announced $1,524,625 in federal funding for the Santa Fe Recovery Center, Inc. from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to combat the opioid epidemic and substance abuse in communities across New Mexico.
The funding will go toward recovery addiction treatment, recovery services, and overdose prevention. It will also expand the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access program, which the delegation passed through the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) Consolidated Appropriations bill, designed to eliminate outdated, bureaucratic barriers preventing practitioners from prescribing lifesaving drugs like buprenorphine to their patients.
“The scale of the opioid crisis demands that we tackle it with every available strategy. This grant is a vital investment in that continued fight. And I will keep pushing to ensure several key provisions included in our annual appropriations and defense authorization bills — including my FEND Off Fentanyl Act — are signed into law,” said Heinrich. “My focus is on delivering the funding and legislative solutions we need to stop the flow of these illicit substances before they ever hit our borders, hold those who traffic these substances within our borders accountable, and ensure those who are suffering from addiction receive the life-saving treatment they need.”
“As the opioid crisis impacts New Mexico and states across the country, improving access to high quality care and recovery services must be a priority,” said Luján. “That’s why I’m glad to welcome this federal investment that will help address this crisis by investing in the Santa Fe Recovery Center. This funding will improve access to evidence-based treatments, like Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), that help reduce overdoses and keep New Mexicans on a path to recovery.”
“The opioid epidemic has taken too many of our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters,” said Leger Fernández. “These grants will help the Santa Fe Recovery Center save lives. They will provide life-saving overdose prevention, addiction recovery, and mental health services for rural communities across the state. I will continue to work to make sure all New Mexicans have access to this type of life-saving care and services.”
A breakdown of the $1,524,625 in funds is below:
- HHS is awarding $999,625 to the Santa Fe Recovery Center, Inc. through the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) aimed at preventing substance use disorder in rural communities, particularly by expanding the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Access program. This funding will help prescribers treat substance use disorder in New Mexico and eliminate access gaps to life-saving drugs like buprenorphine, which Heinrich has advocated for.
- HHS is awarding $525,000 to the Santa Fe Recovery Center, Inc. through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) aimed at improving the rehabilitation center’s ability to treat and prevent substance use disorder and related mental health disorders.
This announcement is the latest investment by the congressional delegation in the fight against the opioid epidemic in New Mexico.
Last week, Heinrich and Luján announced 24 local projects in the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would improve access to quality health care and help medical providers treat mental health and substance use disorders in New Mexico.
Additionally, Heinrich recently welcomed the inclusion of several key provisions to fight the opioid epidemic in annual government funding legislation, including the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a new fentanyl tracking system, and a measure that would direct the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to remove barriers to access opioid use disorder medications.
