The Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative of the National Institutes of Health

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative of the National Institutes of Health was launched in 2018 to provide scientific solutions to the evolving crisis of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose. With dedicated support from Congress, the HEAL initiative has funded more than $1.5 billion in research through more than 500 projects nationwide, and plans to expand research investments. This comprehensive approach includes efforts to develop more effective therapies for managing pain and for treating opioid use disorder (OUD), test effective pain management strategies that limit addiction risk, and implement evidence-based OUD treatment in a variety of settings. The H EAL initiative joins the power of science with the strengths of communities to address an urgent public health need (see Table for selected research accomplishments).