News & Updates FORE Announcements

FORE Awards New Grants to Catalyze the Federal Response to the Opioid Crisis

May 31, 2023

Today, FORE announced two new grants that build on recent federal policies and laws governing the nation’s response to the continuing opioid crisis. FORE’s support includes:

A $200,000 grant to the Bipartisan Policy Center to assess federal levers and educate policymakers on how to optimize the federal response to the opioid crisis. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that combines the best ideas from both parties to promote health, security, and opportunity for all Americans. In 2021, a FORE grant helped BPC launch the national Opioid Crisis Task Force to develop evidence-based recommendations for how federal policy can reduce overdose death rates — which accelerated during the pandemic — and strengthen the federal response to the crisis over the long term. As part of a new grant, the BPC will conduct policy analysis and develop educational materials to inform and interact with policymakers in Congress and the federal administration on opioid crisis–related provisions of the 2023 budget Omnibus and the expected reauthorization of the Substance Use Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. BPC will also hold a public webinar to highlight findings of the project.

A $380,000 grant to the Legal Action Center, based in New York City, to maximize the opportunity presented by California’s approved 1115 Medicaid reentry demonstration waiver, which aims to increase access to treatment for individuals leaving incarceration with opioid use disorder (OUD) or other substance use disorders (SUDs). The Legal Action Center (LAC) uses legal and policy strategies to fight discrimination, build health equity, and restore opportunity for people with arrest and conviction records, SUDs, and HIV or AIDS. The project will help stakeholders across the country understand the new Medicaid Reentry opportunities, help policymakers in Medicaid expansion states submit waiver applications and prepare for their effective implementation, and help stakeholders in non-expansion states create reforms that increase access to OUD and other SUD treatment for people involved with the criminal justice system.

“Our grantees are shining a light on policies that truly address the crisis, including on issues related to treatment access, racial and ethnic treatment disparities, and polysubstance use,” says Karen A. Scott, MD, MPH, president of FORE.