The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday $53 million in funding to improve access to treatment for opioid use disorders, reduce opioid-related deaths, and strengthen drug abuse prevention efforts.

The funding will also help improved data collection and analysis around opioid abuse and overdose and track overdoses.

"The epidemic of opioid use disorders involving the non-medical use of prescription opioid pain relievers and the use of heroin has had a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities across our nation,"Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) Principal Deputy Administrator Kana Enomoto said. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and SAMHSA administered the funding that support six programs.

• The Medication-Assisted Treatment Prescription Drug Opioid Addiction Grants will provide up to $11 millions to 11 state to expand access to medication-assisted treatment services for people with opioid use disorder.
• The Prescription Drug Opioid Overdose Prevention Grants will provide up to $11 million to 12 states to reduce opioid overdose-related deaths.
• The Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Prescription Drug Grants will provide up to $9 million to 21 states and four tribes.
• The Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States program provides up to $11.5 million in supplemental funding to 14 states.
• The Prescription Drug Overdose: Data-Driven Prevention Initiative will award $6 million to 13 states and District of Columbia to advance and evaluate state-level prevention activities to address opiod abuse and overdose.
• The Enhanced State Surveillance of Opioid-Involved Morbidity and Mortality program is awarding $4.27 million to 12 states to improve tracking fatal and nonfatal opioid involved overdoses.

"These grants will help address the key of the opiod crisis by promoting effective prevention efforts, preventing overdose deaths and helping ensure that people with opioid use disorders are able to receive vital treatment and recovery support services," Enomoto said.

This is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Opioid Initiative, which was launched in March 2015. The initative is focused on improving opioid prescribing practices, expandinig access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder and increasing the use of naloxone to reverse opioid overdose.

The additional funding is necessary to ensure people will have access for treatment. 

You can learn more about the SAMHSA grants at here and the CDC grants here.