This week, the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board awarded $2.5 million in grants to different entities across the state.
According to a news release from the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, the grants will support treatment and recovery programs, opioid abuse education and strategies to reduce the supply of narcotics statewide. Eighteen entities in total received funds to help combat the state’s opioid crisis, including 14 counties, two cities and two school districts.
“The grants include $300,000 each for Comanche and Osage counties, the largest awards distributed. Comanche County will use the funds to establish an opioid task force, provide housing for individuals in recovery and offer transportation for drug court participants. Osage County will partner with the Osage Nation Health System to provide treatment, prevention and counseling services,” the news release said.
This comes just five months after the state distributed $11 million to 71 different entities.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 81,000 people died from an overdose involving opioids in 2023. Although there was a decrease from the year before, it is clear more work must be done to help save lives.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Injury Prevention Service reported more than 1,200 unintentional drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma in 2022. Funds from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board are a crucial step in helping to provide the resources for treatment, prevention and education programs aimed at reducing opioid-related deaths across the state.