A total of $14,630,361 has been awarded to West Virginia by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to combat the opioid epidemic.
West Virginia Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito made the announcement in a press release Thursday.
“West Virginia has been at the frontlines of the fight against the opioid epidemic and is now ground zero for recovery efforts," Manchin said in the release. "This funding will enable West Virginia to provide our citizens with the help that they need in order to combat the opioid epidemic in our state. Our citizens deserve the opportunity to receive treatment. As a member of the Appropriations committee, I will continue to fight to ensure that West Virginia receives the federal funding and support we need to prevent overdose deaths."
“The drug epidemic has devastated so many families and so many communities across West Virginia, and federal funding like this plays an important role in helping us fight back against the opioid crisis,” Capito said. “I helped change the state grant formula in the Labor-HHS government funding bill last fall, and the benefits of that change are evident today with this distribution of resources. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, it’s been my goal not only to ensure these funds are available but also to make sure they’re going to states with the greatest needs—states like West Virginia. I am glad to see this critical funding come to our state and will continue to advocate for these much-needed resources.”
According to the release, the State Opioid Response Grants will increase access for the treatment of opioid use disorder, address unmet needs, and reduce deaths from overdose through the provision of prevention, treatment and recovery activities for opioid use disorder.
