According to the current and former employees, the new administration’s decision to dismiss one -tenth workers of federal agencies supervising mental and behavioral health will try to suppress suicide and overdose death.
About 100 employees of drug abuse and mental health service bureau were placed in accordance with the insiders’ estimates. More than 10% of the agency personnel. According to the 2025 Financial Report. The Trump administration has submitted a probationary employee, and often has been dismissed by false claims of poor performance, and the stories of former workers who talked with STAT about the anonymity with the STAT according to the anonymity of fear of retaliation reflect similar news from other health institutions. One employee said that this behavior is causing “deliberate trauma.”
“Their plan is Project 2025In order to cause trauma for the federal labor force, the employee said the right -wing think tank Heritage Foundation mentioned the vision of how Trump should rule for the next four years. The staff talked about anonymous conditions because of the fear of retaliation. “And we will affect the next generation, a federal mental health and addiction agency that feels the trauma of this administration.”
SAMHSA, a subsidy manufacturing agency with a budget of $ 800 million, mainly depending on the health and human service department, is a “union organization” that calls for the funds and education of the federal government to the ground service provider. Do I have to approach opioid addiction better? Do you want additional EMS services for rural counties? Call your local samhsa and apply for subsidies.
But if you live in the midwest and south, the non -ruins exchange board operator no longer exists. According to former employees, two of the federal agencies popped out completely and no longer became an employee. The 988 National Crisis Hotline leader and the recovery office in Samsha also retired or retired last month. And employees reported that Christopher Carroll, the current acting officer of the agency, lacks policy expertise that leads the right to correct the institution through this noisy period.
The loss of institutional knowledge and relationships built with the health care provider on the ground can be a “cataclysm”, especially because of the excessive drug infectious diseases. In recent years, death has decreased, but it has still reached 80,000 every year. Temporary Center for Disease Control and Prevention Data. The state’s mental health crisis is similar: suicide rate About 30% increase From 2002 to 2022.
A former employee said, “This is a matter of life and death. “(Reduction) damages the ability of the institution to provide subsidies and support for how to reduce tragedy, and losses related to excessive infectious diseases faced by the state.”
In a recent virtual press conference of former samhsa employees, people detailed the similar story of an important role of the institution in solving the national behavior and mental health demands.
Brian Payne, Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs of the BIDEN administration, said, “This is not a switch that turns on and off for several years after increasing overdose death and behavioral health crisis. “Our prevention, treatment and recovery service finally began to overturn this trend, but if we are currently killing employees of federal behavioral health institutions, we will not only endanger it, but also have a ripple effect for the next few years.”
Returning the switch can be particularly dangerous for the vulnerable population provided by Samhsa. Services or guidelines for those who deal with mental health crisis or manage recovery from the use of materials can be confusing or fatal. Many samhsa employees know that confusion closely. A recent internal survey of samhsa staff found that 20%of employees are recovering from addiction or mental health problems.
Biden Administration has formed a recovery office to develop a strategy on the best way to prevent overdose. Research is a stronger behavioral health system and drug expansion. Reduce overdose mortality rate by 46 %. Overdose death decreased 24% between 2023 and 2024 According to CDC data. Success makes it difficult to disguise the imminent retreat.
According to an anonymous condition, a former employee said. “We have reached the general public and we have not been able to obtain a boulefrenorpin for life because the pharmacy has stopped selling or the insurance refused me. ‘And the boss will reach out to the Lord.
The exact impact of the 988 program on the mental health crisis of the country remains, but the hotline has already received more than 14 million telephone, text or chat since it started in 2022. Trump signed the law in 2020. Infrastructure was cut to help the state to hurt the voters for Trump. Massachusetts non -profit organizations advocate better solutions for housing and community support requests.
Martone said, “If a person calls 988, he will receive a behavioral health manager by phone, according to the data, according to the data, according to data, according to data, according to the data, according to the data, according to the data, according to the data, according to the data, according to the data, according to the data according to the data, the data is not required. “Without functional 988/Crisis line systems, people call 911 and 911 and get police response even if they are almost not always needed.”
According to the local director of Samhsa, pairs of mental health providers and people who are experiencing a mental health crisis have saved numerous lives.
“The 988 program is new, growing and developing, and did not care for people, regardless of whether it is suffering from mental health or addiction crisis, but succeeded in caring for people without dying in a ditch or in jail.”
Samhsa has changed since the first Trump administration. 5 years ago, this institution was evaluated 410 out of 411 Sub -component agency to work in the federal government. After samhsa leaders and veterans were dedicated to enhance fraud and improve their working conditions, the institution met 52 out of 272 institutions until last year.
But the fraud and momentum boosts were quickly busy and replaced by fear. The Trump administration instructed the agency to submit a note by Thursday. Reduce the workforce. A letter to HHS Minister Robert F. Kennedy JR., some Democrats Estimated Reduction can reach 50-70%of its employees. Some former employees have samhsa I was peeled off for parts It is absorbed into CDC or health resources and service management.
The Trump administration has recently allowed the agency to reconsider the protected protection staff. Health institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Pharmacy have begun to return from some employees, but Samhsa leaders have not yet.
Health and human service officials have recently selected Carol as Samhsa’s acting manager until they are recently nominated. According to sources familiar with his thoughts, this choice surprised Carol. His careers for decades in Samhsa focused on finance rather than policies. His long term in Samhsa has never included odors for leadership, according to the agency source and review. Some organizational charts have been posted since 2020.
When Carol attended the agency’s leadership virtual meeting last month, some were initially confused by his existence. When Vice Secretary of State Tom Coderre introduced Carrolls to the group, the acting leader broadcast his intentions with his first statement. He is there to perform the goal of the Trump administration.
Crystal: The previous version of this story omitted that some samhsa staff are recovering from mental health problems as well as addiction.
The scope of disability problem is supported by the subsidies of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Commonwealth Fund. Ours Financial supporter It is not involved in decisions for journalism.
