The Health Resources and Services Administration announced awards of more than $200 Million nationally for mental health and substance abuse service expansion. Valley Healthcare System, Inc. of Columbus was one of 31 primary health care organizations in Georgia to receive a fiscal year 2017 Access Increases in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services award.

AIMS funding provides resources to health centers like Valley Healthcare System to increase personnel, leverage health information technology, and provide training to support the expansion of mental health services and substance abuse services focusing on the treatment, prevention, and awareness of Opioid abuse, and their integration into primary care.  Valley Healthcare clinicians documented treatment for over 700 patients with some level of opioid use disorder in 2016.