WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced more than $1.5 billion in new funding and a series of initiatives last week aimed at tackling the opioid epidemic, strengthening tribal health care, addressing the nation’s autism crisis, and expanding nutrition support for children.
The largest allocation comes through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which awarded more than $1.5 billion in continuation grants to states and tribes for opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery programs. Since 2018, states have reported that nearly 1.3 million people have received treatment services through the State Opioid Response program, with more than 10 million opioid overdose reversal kits distributed.
HHS also mobilized more than 70 U.S. Public Health Service officers to Indian Health Service facilities across the country, one of the largest deployments in recent years. The action is aimed at filling urgent staffing shortages, with senior officers sent to bolster leadership and frontline staff detailed to address gaps in care delivery.
In a high-profile announcement from the White House, President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled what they called “bold new actions” to confront the nation’s autism epidemic, which now affects one in 31 children. The FDA will move to update labeling for leucovorin calcium to create the first FDA-recognized treatment pathway for autism symptoms associated with cerebral folate deficiency. The agency will also initiate a label change for acetaminophen, warning of potential risks tied to use during pregnancy, though no causal link has been firmly established.
Meanwhile, the Administration for Children and Families announced $61.9 million in nutrition funding for more than 290 Head Start programs, supporting projects ranging from farm-to-table gardens to kitchen renovations. Officials said the effort is part of the agency’s “Make America Healthy Again” strategy.
HHS also reported $45 million in supplemental funding for young adult sober housing, expanding access to safe, drug-free living environments that support recovery. And in a civil rights action, the department reached an agreement with Idaho to transition a teenager with autism and behavioral health needs from a state facility to community-based care, the seventh such resolution under its Olmstead Initiative.
These actions aim to restore trust, build healthier communities, and deliver on the promise to make America healthy again.
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