Jackson Purchase News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has announced that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will distribute $37,207,505 in federal funding to the Commonwealth of Kentucky through the State Opioid Response Grant Program.

Senator McConnell played a crucial role in securing $1.575 billion for this program in the recent government funding bill, ensuring that resources are directed towards states with the highest overdose mortality rates, such as Kentucky. This resulted in an increase in funding for Kentucky this fiscal year.

The State Opioid Response Grant Program channels funds to Kentucky’s state government, which then allocates them through the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort (KORE) to programs across the state aimed at preventing, reducing, and treating opioid abuse. The impact of this funding is significant, with more than 5,000 overdose reversals, 28,000 Kentuckians receiving treatment services, and 16,000 receiving recovery support services from 2017-2021 alone.

Senator McConnell emphasized the importance of this funding, stating, "Families in nearly every neighborhood across our country have suffered because of the opioid epidemic...Today’s funding will target critical resources into Kentucky’s communities to help those on their road to recovery and to save more lives from these dangerous substances.”

To date, Senator McConnell has been instrumental in securing more than $700 million in competitive and block grant funding to combat drug abuse in Kentucky, with over $240 million allocated to the state through the SOR Program.

This substantial funding injection is poised to make a meaningful impact in the ongoing battle against opioid addiction in Kentucky, providing much-needed support to individuals and communities grappling with the devastating effects of this crisis.