The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services administration (SAMHSA), the federal agency that leads efforts on mental health and substance use, is facing threats of major staff and funding cuts, according to recent media reports.
SAMHSA sits within the larger Department of Health and Human Services. Among other responsibilities, it oversees 988 (the national crisis hotline), regulates methadone clinics that provide treatment for opioid use disorder, produces annual surveys that yield important data about mental health and substance use issues across the country, and provides training and resources for states and organizations. It provides grants to providers of mental health and addiction services, including the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant, which provides billions of dollars to all states and is the cornerstone of states’ addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery systems.
Roughly 100 employees at SAMHSA – more than 10% of the agency’s workforce – have already been fired. Two of SAMHSA’s regional offices are no longer staffed.
Now, the agency is facing additional cuts that could amount to 50-70% of the agency’s workforce. The administration may fold SAMHSA into another health agency, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Health Research and Services Administration (HRSA).
Some members of Congress have already sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services raising alarm about such cuts.
At a time when the country is facing both mental health and addiction crises, SAMHSA is more critical than ever. Disrupting services can be deadly for people with substance use disorder, and cuts could drastically impact how the federal government addresses mental health and addiction needs across the country. Decimating SAMHSA would jeopardize the substantial progress recently made on reducing drug overdose deaths.
Send a letter to your members of Congress urging them to protect SAMHSA from cuts that will limit care for people with mental health and substance use disorders.