LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced that they will be receiving a grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) in the form of $3.4 million to help address substance abuse disorder needs.
According to an official press release, the funds will be used to conduct a needs assessment of substance abuse disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery provider capacity for the state’s Medicaid program.
The press release notes that Michigan is experiencing an opioid overdose death rate of 21.2 deaths per 100,000 residents, nearly 1.5 times greater than the national rate of 14.9 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Additionally, the release notes that serious gaps exist in access to SUD care, including medication-assisted treatment. A recent study found that only 20 percent of Michiganders with an SUD diagnosis received treatment.
Data achieved from the study will help determine the following:
- current use of and need for SUD services
- where additional SUD services are needed in the state
- how many additional providers are required to address the need
- strategies to increase the number of patients current providers can serve.
“The ultimate goal of this project is to increase the capacity of Michigan’s Medicaid providers to deliver substance use disorder treatment and recovery services to our state’s residents,” chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said. “This will further our state’s proactive response to the opioid crisis that focuses on prevention, treatment and recovery.”
Michigan was one of 15 states to receive the CMS grant funding. MDHHS will be partnering with the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation (IHPI) to help conduct the needs assessment.
