$25 million in SOR grant funding to help Missouri communities

Today, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS), announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has invested an additional $25 million in State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funding to help Missouri communities increase access to treatment and prevention programs for opioid and stimulant use disorders.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for people struggling with an addiction issue,” said Blunt. “Limits on in-person counseling and inpatient treatment heighten the risk for relapses and potentially fatal overdoses.”

“Now, more than ever, we need to be sure states have the resources and flexibility to respond,” Blunt added. “The State Opioid Response grant program is designed to give every state the ability to tailor response plans to their unique needs. There is also additional flexibility to use funds for stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine that are on the rise in many areas. Increasing funding for opioid-related programs has been one of my focuses as chairman of the Senate health appropriations subcommittee and will continue to be a bipartisan priority.”

SOR grants are awarded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The most recent government funding bill included $1.5 billion for the SOR program and provided additional flexibility to states by allowing them to use grant dollars to address stimulants.

With today’s announcement, Missouri has received a total of $71.3 million since Blunt created the SOR program in 2018. Under Blunt’s chairmanship, funding for opioid-related Labor/HHS programs has increased by more than $3.5 billion over the past five years.