(The Center Square) – A report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General found that the state of Florida didn’t fully comply with federal oversight and reporting requirements for its grants to fund an opioid abuse prevention program.
State officials said they concurred with the audit findings, but blamed issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic for problems with oversight and other findings.
The $200 million grant awarded to the Florida Department of Children and Families under the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in fiscal 2020 is part of a series of outlays to states and native American tribes to combat opioid abuse.
The SAMHSA program is supposed to increase access to treatment, reduction of unmet treatment needs and the reduction of opioid overdose-related deaths.
According to the report, Florida officials implemented the program by using existing contracts with private, nonprofit organizations. The audit found that the agency submitted an inaccurate financial report and didn’t amend it to reflect a reduction of $779,928 in expenditures until more than 16 months after the project period ended.
The inspector general’s office also criticized the Department of Children and Families for not adequately monitoring subrecipient spending and could not support five of the 100 sampled expenditures reviewed by auditors. The report also said the state couldn’t fully support reported outcomes for two of the four program goals related to reducing opioid-caused deaths and increasing access to treatment.
The report said the department didn’t refund the grant in a timely fashion, didn’t have a process to monitor the grant expenditures and didn’t maintain historical documentation used to complete progress reports.
Erica Floyd Thomas, the assistant secretary for substance abuse and mental health, concurred with the recommendations in a response letter and said it is “dedicated to upholding the highest standards of compliance and best practices in every aspect of grant oversight.”
“The crisis led to unavoidable disruptions, including multiple turnovers in key staff positions, which affected program oversight,” Thomas said. “Additionally, the response effort had to rapidly adapt its strategies to ensure consistent service delivery while navigating pandemic-related restrictions, shifting priorities and increased demand for substance use treatment and support.
“Despite these obstacles, the program remained committed to its mission, implementing innovative solutions such as telehealth services, expanded community outreach and strengthened collaborations to sustain care for those affected by opioid addiction.”
