The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Helping to End Addiction Long-term® (HEAL) Initiative

The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, is an NIH-wide effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis. Almost every NIH Institute and Center is accelerating research to address this public health emergency from all angles. The public health crisis of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose in America continues to evolve rapidly and overlaps with other significant public health challenges, including untreated chronic pain and mental illness. The NIH HEAL Initiative is using an all-hands-on-deck approach to address these challenges. The initiative brings together scientists, community members, the private sector, and multiple levels of government – all sharply focused on ending the opioid crisis. The Initiative is advancing research to reduce the risks of opioid use and improve pain management, thereby reducing reliance on opioids. NINDS is the lead Institute for pain research at NIH and co-manages the NIH HEAL Initiative with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. NINDS also leads the Executive Committee of the NIH Pain Consortium whose mission includes improving the treatment of a variety of pain conditions. NINDS will focus its efforts within the NIH HEAL Initiative on developing non-addictive pain treatments that effectively address both acute and chronic pain conditions for which opioids are ineffective.