HHS has renewed the public health emergency declaration for the nation’s opioid crisis, extending key federal response efforts for 90 days.
The PHE had been set to end March 21. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized the urgency of continued action despite a 25.5% decrease in overdose deaths over the past year, according to a March 18 news release from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“Opioid-involved overdoses remain the leading cause of drug-related fatalities,” Mr. Kennedy said in the release. “Renewing the Opioid Public Health Emergency Declaration affirms the Administration’s commitment to addressing the opioid overdose crisis and is one of many critical steps we will take to Make America Healthy Again.”
Originally declared in 2017, the opioid PHE enables HHS to expedite treatment initiatives, facilitate research and enhance public-private coordination to help with opioid misuse.
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