Federal cuts pause Nebraska opioid reduction program

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – The 12-month opioid reduction program was introduced in Nebraska hospitals back in September of 2024 as a way to prevent patients who needed painkillers after surgery from developing an addiction to them.

Less than a year later, and as those behind it say work was just beginning, funding for the program has been cut.

The program provided those undergoing an operation in Nebraska hospitals with a nurse before and after surgery, as well as at-home pain relief kits in an effort to prescribe the least amount of opioids to patients possible.

The $3 million of grant money used to fund that program was terminated by the federal government just last week, putting operations on pause. With that money being recalled, the pause on the program in its current form could be permanent.

The program was modeled to last until September 2025 and be implemented on over 4,000 patients. This cut comes just past the halfway point. In that time, those behind it say only 107 patients were able to be helped through it.

“Now you’re stopping it and you’re kind of wasting the money you’ve invested by not finishing the program completely,” Jeremy Nordquist, the president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, who represents more than 90 hospitals in the state, said. “If they wanted to stop it at the end of the fiscal year in September when the program was supposed to be done, and then now renew it after that, that would make a lot of sense. Then, at least you would have a baseline of data that you could use.”

Last Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the cancellation of the funds that this program falls under. That case is still active, and the Nebraska’s opioid program will remain on pause until a final decision on the funding is made.

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