Daily Freeman: Ellenville Regional Hospital gets $1 million to fight opioid epidemic

DAILY FREEMAN

Ellenville Regional Hospital will receive $1 million as part of the federal government’s Opioid Response Program.

The grant award was announced Wednesday by U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, D-Gardiner.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which through the Health Resources and Services Administration is investing directly in the nation’s rural communities, announced investments of more than $104 million to expand treatment and prevention services for substance use. The money includes medications for opioid use disorder in rural communities nationwide as part of the department’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, a multi-year initiative aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of rural Americans from substance use disorder.

In a press release announcing the grant, Ryan said that securing the funding for Ellenville Hospital continues efforts he began as Ulster County executive to make reinvesting in mental health care a top priority.

“Our rural communities have been deeply impacted by the opioid crisis, and this funding will allow the expansion of crucial treatments and preventative services for substance use,” Ryan stated in the release.

Hospital President Steven L. Kelley said in the release, “The opioid epidemic has been particularly difficult for rural areas like Ellenville, and this funding will transform our ability to both prevent and treat opioid use disorder in the region.”