Abstract
On March 11, Mark Stringer, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, as well as immediate past president of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) board of directors and chair of NASADAD's Public Policy Committee, told the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies that the pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on Black individuals in Missouri in terms of overdose trends. He also discussed the important role of the single state authority in managing the publicly funded addiction treatment, prevention and recovery service system, as well as using innovative approaches to adapt to the pandemic.
On March 11, Mark Stringer, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, as well as immediate past president of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) board of directors and chair of NASADAD's Public Policy Committee, told the House of Representatives’ Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies that the pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on Black individuals in Missouri in terms of overdose trends. He also discussed the important role of the single state authority in managing the publicly funded addiction treatment, prevention and recovery service system, as well as using innovative approaches to adapt to the pandemic.
He also expressed appreciation for the supplemental funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant in December 2020 ($1.65 billion) (see $2.3 trillion spending bill includes COVID‐19 relief, adding $1.65 billion to SAPT BG, ADAW January 9, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.32933), as well as the latest package that passed the House ($1.5 billion) (see “American Rescue Plan includes additional $1.5 billion for SAPT BG,” ADAW March 22, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.33008). The benefits of investing in the SAPT block grant include helping states with planning; the prevention set‐aside; maximizing efficiency by leveraging the current infrastructure; giving states flexibility to address local needs; and plugging gaps that are not funded by Medicare, Medicaid or commercial insurance plans, he said.
The subcommittee, led by Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D‐Conn.) and Ranking Member Tom Cole (R‐Okla.), oversees funding for programs within the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The title of the hearing was “COVID‐19 and the Mental Health and Substance Use Crises.”
Other witnesses included:
Lisa Amaya‐Jackson, co‐director, UCLA‐Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress;
Arthur Evans Jr., chief executive officer and executive vice president, American Psychological Association; and
Verna Foust, chief executive officer, Red Rock Behavioral Health Sciences in Oklahoma.
Finally, in her closing remarks, Chairwoman DeLauro emphasized the importance of the SAPT block grant as well as the critical role of SAMHSA as the lead coordinating agency for mental health and substance use disorder issues.
For the full recording of the hearing, as well as transcripts, go to https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearings/covid‐19‐and‐the‐mental‐health‐and‐substance‐use‐crises.