PROVIDENCE, RI – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Gabe Amo joined with Mayor Brett Smiley and SAMHSA Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam Delphin-Rittmon to highlight a new $2.3 million federal First Responders - Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (FR-CARA) grant to support the City’s comprehensive strategy to improve first responders’ ability to save lives.  Whitehouse authored CARA, which is the primary law guiding the federal response to the opioid epidemic.

“To effectively combat the opioid crisis we must invest in coordinated strategies that ensure people can easily access help and support services.  Senator Whitehouse has been a tremendous leader on this issue in Congress and I’m proud to work alongside him and our colleagues in the delegation to deliver this federal funding for Providence.  This $2.3 million investment will help Providence’s first responders save lives and assist residents who are struggling with addiction,” said Reed. 

“Rhode Islanders had a big hand in helping draft my CARA law, so it’s great to see this federal funding from CARA providing a big boost for Providence’s first responders, who are on the front lines every day responding to Rhode Island’s opioid epidemic,” said Whitehouse.  “I applaud Mayor Smiley’s efforts to combat the epidemic in our Capital City and help connect Rhode Islanders with the support they need to get on the noble road to recovery.  There is hopeful news that our efforts to save lives are working.”

“The opioid epidemic has touched the lives of families in Rhode Island and across the country, and we need to ensure first responders are equipped with the resources they need to save lives and support those in recovery,” said Magaziner. “This federal funding will help reduce overdoses, expand access to lifesaving services and treatments, and build a safer, healthier Rhode Island.”

“Thanks to champions like Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, overdose deaths in Rhode Island have been decreasing by twice the national average in recent years,” said Amo. “This federal grant for the Providence Overdose Prevention Project will support these efforts by uplifting the first responders and community members who play a vital role in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid use disorder.”

The City of Providence will use the federal funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to advance the Providence Overdose Prevention Project, a comprehensive strategy to improve first responders’ ability to save lives.  The program increases the capacity of Emergency Medical Services staff and community members to use evidence-based practices to reduce overdoses and connect individuals with necessary supports.  The City will also work to reduce fatal overdoses through education and prevention programs and increase naloxone distribution within the community to help lower nonfatal overdose rates.

“We’re thankful for the leadership and advocacy of our federal delegation in securing this vital funding through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act,” said Smiley. “This grant will strengthen Providence’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis by expanding life-saving resources for our first responders and connecting those in crisis to the support they need. By working together, we’re building a healthier, safer city for all.”

“We commend the first responders who are committed to saving lives day and day out,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “This funding will help Providence EMS connect those at highest risk of overdose to lifesaving services, including treatment, harm reduction services, and recovery supports.”

Deaths from accidental overdoses decreased by 7.3 percent last year in Rhode Island, the first time in four years that the number had gone down, according to the Governor’s Overdose Task Force.  Rhode Island’s decrease in overdose deaths, from 436 in 2022 to 404 in 2023, was over twice the national average, with America experiencing a 3 percent decrease in 2023.  According to preliminary data from the Rhode Island Department of Health, 178 individuals died from accidental overdoses in the first nine months of this year, a significant decrease from the same point in 2023.