34 organizations receive a combined $13.9M to fight opioid epidemic in Kentucky
Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced on Monday that 34 organizations would be receiving $13.9M to help fight the opioid crisis.
The funding comes from a multi-state settlement with Pharmaceutical companies Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson. Reached in 2021, the settlement is from the companies' role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic.
The settlement gives the state $842M in funding to be allocated in various ways. The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is the entity tasked with allocating the funds.
"We know that the opioid epidemic has plagued our people for far too long," said Cameron. "So this money that the commission has allocated, we are certainly hopeful that it will start to stem the tide of this epidemic."
The organizations chosen are divided into two subcategories: Treatment and Recovery organizations and Preventative organizations.
The Healing Place, which has offices in all 120 counties across the state, received $850k in funding on Monday.
"We're going to continue our long-term residential abstinence program, but we're going to add clinical services to reach more [people] and provide higher quality of care with clinicians and nurse practitioners and peer support specialists," said Jay Davidson, the Healing Place's executive director.
The Jeffersontown Police Department is another grant recipient for its preventative work. Chief Rick Sanders said the money will help the department expand its 'REACH' program.
"We have three social workers embedded into our police department to go out and try to find people that are homeless suffering from mental health issues or addiction," Sanders said.
"If you think about that, police officers opening the door and saying if you're addicted or suffering from mental illness, come to us. We're not going to put you in jail. We're going to facilitate getting you treatment. That's what we're doing, and we're proud of it."
For a full list of organizations that received funding, .