Public health agencies across the U.S. faced a chaotic few days this week as the Trump administration sent out letters canceling more than $2 billion in grants for mental health and addiction programs, but then quickly reversed course.
In Arizona, a program that supplies first responders with the lifesaving overdose reversal drug Naloxone was briefly in limbo.
On Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Health Services got notice that federal funding was being cut for its Naloxone Leave Behind Program.
“The Arizona Department of Health Services is reviewing other sources of funding including Opioid Settlement dollars and will continue to fill orders through the Naloxone Leave Behind Program,” the department said in a letter to community partners Wednesday. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as additional information becomes available.”
But by Thursday, the department was notified by the Trump administration that the funding would not be terminated after all.
Reporting from NPR said public outcry over the sudden cancellation of grants for mental health and addiction programs led to high-level meetings in the Trump administration, during which the decision was reversed.
“NPR hasn't been able to determine who made the initial decision to cut these funds, nor would sources say who made the decision to restore the money,” NPR’s Brian Mann reported.
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Gabriela Ramírez is an investigative reporter who reported the story for the Spanish-language news outlet Conecta Arizona with a grant funded by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship.
