SCRANTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday the award of $25 million in funding to facilities combating the opioid crisis, with nearly $500,000 going to a center based in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Eric D. Hargan, deputy secretary of the HHS, appeared at the Scranton-based Wright Center for Community Health on Monday morning to make the announcement, joined by medical staff at the center. According to Hargan, the money is being distributed through an HHS initiative called the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, or RCORP.
“This crisis has been going on in small towns and rural areas around the country for generations,” Hargan said, adding that members of his own family have struggled with addiction. “It can be invisible and affecting everyone.”
Hargan went on to say that an important part of the HHS’s efforts when it comes to the opioid crisis is ending the stigma when it comes to battling substance abuse. He also said that the COVID-19 pandemic has in many ways exacerbated the substance abuse problem.
“In fact, we recognize that this pandemic has only made it harder to connect Americans with treatment for substance use disorders, and in some cases we’re seeing significantly increased need for these services,” he said.
Of the 80 award recipients nationwide that received portions of the $25 million given out by RCORP, four of them are based in Pennsylvania. The Wright Center is the only one of the four on the eastern side of the state, with Hargan saying the remaining three are in Pittsburgh, Erie and Clarion.
Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, CEO of the Wright Center for Community Health and president of the complimentary Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, said that the nearly $500,000 awarded to the center would be going toward the Healthy MOMS program — wherein “MOMS” stands for “Maternal Opiate Medical Support.”
The Healthy MOMS program is aimed at helping expecting mothers begin a path to addiction recovery, and has so far served 144 mothers. The program was originally only aimed at mothers in Lackawanna County, but has since expanded into Luzerne County and surrounding areas.