As part of the Rapid Referral Platform for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) initiative, New Jersey plans to launch a contract in September 2025 for a telemedicine provider platform for emergency assessment and initiation of MOUD through the state’s Department of Health (NJDOH) and its Office of Opioid Response and Policy. The state’s goal is to improve access to MOUD as part of its comprehensive strategy to address and reverse the overdose crisis, reduce risks related to substance use, and provide improved, equitable access to high-quality substance use disorder care statewide. This is a new award.

The state released a request for applications (RFA) on July 7, 2025, and accepted responses through August 4, 2025. The initial contract project period runs from September 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, with funding of up to $1 million. The state intends to make a single award. Eligible applicants are non-profit hospitals and health systems across the state.

 Qualifications for the award include: 

• On-staff prescribers with board certification in addiction medicine and experience prescribing MOUD 
• Experience employing navigators to support people with substance use disorder 
• Experience providing low-barrier MOUD care, telehealth services and extensive referral networks for transitioning care and meeting the needs of people who use drugs 

NJDOH said that currently only a small fraction of state residents with opioid use disorder have access to MOUD. The state seeks to expand and scale uptake of MOUD via strategic investments to facilitate expedited access to a vetted network of prescribers and harm reduction supplies.

Funding for the program approved by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in February 2024. NJDOH was awarded the funds through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Human Services, the designated lead agency for opioid settlement funds, in February 2025.

According to the RFA, NJDOH has been awarded $6.5 million annually over three years of Opioid Settlement Funds to address barriers to accessing MOUD by expanding a rapid referral electronic platform and collection of resources to facilitate expedited access to a vetted network of prescribers and harm reduction supplies (“Rapid Referral Platform”). This funding will support multiple components, including staffing at NJDOH to build the network of care, software and electronic platform support, transportation and medication vouchers, harm reduction supplies, and 24/7 telemedicine MOUD prescribers. The platform will be available to first responders, emergency departments, treatment providers, correctional settings, and community-based organizations that encounter individuals experiencing an overdose or otherwise seeking care. 

The RFA for a Rapid Referral Platform for Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD): Telehealth Provider is available for download from the OPEN MINDS Government RFP & Contract Database at no charge to OPEN MINDS Circle subscribers. 

For more information, contact: Kerry Griffin, Deputy Director, Office of Opioid Response and Policy, New Jersey Department of Health, Post Office Box 360, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0360; Email: Kerry.Griffin@doh.nj.gov; Website: https://www.nj.gov/health/populationhealth/opioid/