WASHINGTON, DC – In an effort to save lives and better connect Rhode Islanders struggling with opioid use disorder to treatment, recovery, and prevention services, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo today announced $11,363,011 for Rhode Island through the federal State Opioid Response (SOR) grant, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

SOR funding supports evidence-based practices to help states strengthen prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction programs in their communities.  Rhode Island may use the federal grant to fund a wide range of action, including expanding access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naxolone -- better known by its brand-name Narcan -- along with recovery support for those struggling with addiction.

The three-year grant aims to connect more people to services and help prevent opioid addiction statewide; reduce the number of prescription drug/opioid overdoses; and increase access and reduce unmet needs through prevention, treatment, and by gathering data on addiction treatment and recovery resources.  The state has also used federal funding to improve data collection and tracking mechanisms to gauge the effectiveness and reach of its initiatives, creating a public dashboard at PreventOverdoseRI.org (PORI). 

PORI provides the public with up-to-date resources for overdose prevention supplies, access to treatment, and public events.  According to PORI, using data collected from the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), accidental overdose deaths in Rhode Island have been trending downward in recent years, from 436 in 2022 to 164 so far in 2024.

“Too many families have lost loved ones to overdoses and opioid addiction has shattered too many lives.  This federal funding will strengthen the state’s coordinated response to combat addiction, reduce overdose rates, and put recovery within reach for more Rhode Islanders.  It will better connect people in need to services across the continuum of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.  This is a needed investment in saving lives, healthier communities, and helping residents affected by opioid addiction get the care and treatment they need,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services (L-HHS), who helped include $1.575 billion for State Opioid Response Grants in the 2024 appropriations law, as well as $2 billion for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant.

“The opioid crisis has taken a heartbreaking toll on families from all walks of life in every corner of our state.  We need to ensure treatment, prevention, and recovery services are reaching the Rhode Islanders who need them,” said Senator Whitehouse, author of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, the federal law guiding the federal response to the opioid epidemic.  “This federal funding will help ensure that support is available to anyone seeking out the long, noble road of recovery.”

“Opioid addiction has impacted far too many Rhode Islanders, and we need to ensure treatment and support is readily available to those struggling with substance use,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “This federal funding will save lives by expanding access to services for people in recovery and overdose prevention medication like naloxone.”

“Opioid use disorder has impacted countless Rhode Island families,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “Today, I’m proud to stand with my delegation colleagues as we announce more than $11 million dollars in federal funding to expand prevention, treatment, and recovery programs in our state. Let’s keep going.”

America’s overdose crisis has been fueled by the presence of fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that has been linked to a number of overdose fatalities in Rhode Island and nationwide.  Fentanyl, which is mixed with other substances like cocaine or heroin, is dangerously potent.  Last year, 85 percent of overdoses involved any opioid, including fentanyl, while 78 percent involved fentanyl, according to RIDOH.

Deaths from accidental overdoses decreased by 7.3 percent last year in Rhode Island (from 436 in 2022 to 404 in 2023), the first time in four years that the number has gone down, according to the Governor’s Overdose Task Force.  Rhode Island’s decrease in overdoses was over twice the national average, with America experiencing a 3 percent decrease in accidental overdose deaths in 2023.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) credits Rhode Island for taking steps to streamlined naloxone distribution: “Based on an assessment of community need, Rhode Island increased the availability of naloxone kits and launched a new central online ordering system to better coordinate the distribution and tracking process. This multi-agency effort streamlined naloxone procurement and distribution across the state.”

Since 2018, Rhode Island has received over $63.2 million in SOR funding to combat opioids.