Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2016
Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)
Copyright: 2016 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.utsandiego.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/386
Note: Seldom prints LTEs from outside it's circulation area.

$1.4M IN GRANTS GIVEN TO FIGHT SUBSTANCE ABUSE

The federal government has given four community clinics in San Diego 
and Imperial counties a total of more than $1.4 million for helping 
patients deal with substance abuse, particularly misuse of 
prescription opioid painkillers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the grants as 
part of $94 million awarded to 271 health centers nationwide. The 
funding, allotted through the Affordable Care Act, is aimed at 
expanding and improving substance-abuse services at community clinics 
in large part because they serve a great proportion of lower-income, 
uninsured and minority clients.

"Substance abuse is one of the most pressing challenges facing the 
health of our communities today," Henry Tuttle, chief executive of 
Health Center Partners, said in a statement. His group represents 
community clinics across Southern California, including the four 
clinics that received the grants.

"Studies have shown that a holistic approach to health care, one that 
combines substance-abuse services, behavioral health and primary 
health care under one roof, is most effective in increasing overall 
patient health," he added.

The local grant recipients were:

La Maestra Community Health Centers, which received $379,167. It 
operates clinics in San Diego, El Cajon and National City.

Neighborhood Healthcare, which got $325,000. It runs clinics in East 
County, North County and southwestern Riverside County.

Vista Community Clinic, which obtained $325,000. It has clinics in 
Vista, Oceanside and Lake Elsinore.

Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, which received $406,250. It operates 
clinics in Brawley.

Substance abuse, whether involving illegal narcotics or prescription 
medications, has grown in the past decade. Opioids such as Vicodin, 
which contains hydrocodone and acetaminophen, are the most widely 
prescribed class of drugs in the United States. They can lead to 
addiction and overdose deaths, but solutions are difficult because 
medical providers must balance many patients' genuine need for relief 
from chronic pain versus the risk of abuse.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom