The Trump Administration extended its emergency declaration for the opioid epidemic.  In a notice posted to the Department of Health and Human Services website last Friday, acting Secretary Hargan renewed the declaration effective January 24, 2018 because of the “determination that a public health emergency exists nationwide as a result of the consequences of the opioid crisis.”  The original declaration was issued on October 26 and you can read NCSD’s write-up of that here, as well as the statement from NCSD and other leading HIV and STD groups in response here.

The designation allows federal health agencies the authority to quickly hire more treatment specialists and reallocate money to strengthen the response to the epidemic.  There has not been new funding or resources proposed nor has the media campaign promised by President Trump in October been launched.  The Administration has taken other steps to address the crisis, including updating guidance on how states can expand access to impatient treatment under Medicaid and advancing research in non-opioid pain medication at NIH.