HHS announces $3B to address pandemic-related mental health issues, substance use
Fox News
The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday announced $3 billion in American Rescue Plan funding for states, tribes and territories to address mental health and substance use challenges relating to the pandemic.
"The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding economic crisis have been especially devastating for Black, American Indian, Alaska Native and Hispanic communities, who are experiencing a disproportionate number of COVID-19 infections and deaths as well as higher-than-average unemployment rates," an HHS release reads. "Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations have experienced increased stigma and hate due to COVID-19 anti-Asian rhetoric, which is impacting the behavioral health of AANHPI communities." The HHS cited the CDC’s preliminary figures on overdose deaths, nearly 90,000 such deaths in the year ending last September, marking 20,000 more than the year prior. That toll is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a year since the opioid epidemic began in the 1990s, The New York Times reported.More Related News