Additional Coverage:
- HHS quickly reverses $2 billion in mental health and substance abuse cuts after pushback (nbcnews.com)
Washington D.C. – Following swift and widespread backlash, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reversed course, reinstating $2 billion in crucial funding for substance abuse and mental health initiatives. The announcement on Wednesday came just one day after groups were initially informed of the department’s intention to cancel the funds allocated to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The abrupt reinstatement has been attributed to significant public pressure. Rep.
Rosa DeLauro, the leading Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, stated that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “bowed to public pressure” in making the reversal.
“These are cuts he should not have issued in the first place,” DeLauro emphasized in a statement. “He must be cautious when making decisions that will impact Americans’ health.
Our policy must be thoughtful – not haphazard and chaotic. This episode has only created uncertainty and confusion for families and healthcare providers.”
SAMHSA, an integral part of HHS, is a vital resource dedicated to addressing mental health, behavioral, and substance abuse conditions. The administration supports a wide array of life-saving services, including suicide and crisis hotlines, opioid treatment programs, and behavioral health support following disasters.
The initial proposed cuts sparked immediate and strong condemnation from physicians and behavioral health advocates across the nation. The American College of Emergency Physicians expressed its “deep concern” in a news release, with Dr.
L. Anthony Cirillo, the group’s president, stating, “These abrupt cuts threaten to dismantle the fragile continuum of care that helps people access treatment early and stay connected to services.”
Before the funds were reinstated, Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), described the planned cuts as “disheartening and cruel,” warning of the potential to jeopardize “life-saving work of hundreds of organizations that provide critical mental health support across the United States.” He further cautioned that the cuts would “immediately disrupt suicide prevention efforts, family and peer recovery support, overdose prevention and treatment, and mental health awareness and education programming, along with so many more essential services, putting an unknown number of lives at stake.”
HHS has been contacted for further comment regarding the matter.