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Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month and the Department of Justice announced it has awarded nearly $320 million in federal grants to combat the opioid epidemic. A total of approximately $5.3 million was awarded to Nevada to assist in implementation efforts to respond to, treat, and support those impacted by the opioid epidemic. The unprecedented funding will directly help those most impacted by the deadliest drug crisis in American history, including crime victims, children, families, and first responders.
"President Trump has made ending the opioid crisis a priority for this administration, and under his leadership, the Department of Justice has taken historic action," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. "Today we are announcing our next steps: investing $320 million into all three parts of the President’s comprehensive plan to end the epidemic: prevention, treatment, and enforcement. We are attacking this crisis from every angle—and we will not let up until we bring it to an end."
The approximately $320 million awarded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will be distributed in order to maximize effectiveness across the country. In the District of Nevada, the following recipients will receive grant funding:
The Nevada State Board of Pharmacy will receive $633,733, for improving prescriber enrollment and use of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), integrating PDMP data with other data sets to identify geographic areas of concern, doctor shopping, and problematic prescribing, supporting interstate data sharing of PDMP data, and improving the analytics available based on PDMP data.
The Reno Police Department will receive $997,701, to support public safety, behavioral health, and public health information-sharing partnerships.
The Foundation for Positively Kids, Inc. will receive $746,937, the Children’s Cabinet, Inc. will receive $749,763, and the Washoe County Human Services Agency will receive $745,564, to help expand programs to provide services to children and youth impacted by the opioid crisis.
The City of Henderson will receive $299,880, to support the enhancement of fully operational drug courts that incorporate the evidence-based principles included in the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ Adult Drug Courts Best Practice Standards.
The Judiciary Courts of the State of Nevada-Reno Municipal Court will receive $277,237, to implement a new Veterans Treatment Court, which would link veterans with services, benefits and program providers, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Service Organizations, and volunteer veteran mentors.
The Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada, will receive $874,097, to support family drug court programs for juveniles in the justice system with substance abuse problems, specifically those related to opioid abuse, as well as those with co-occurring mental health disorders.
In 2017, more than 72,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses, an increase from the 64,000 overdose deaths in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority of these deaths can be attributed to opioids, including illicit fentanyl and its analogues.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice and assist victims. OJP has six bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering and Tracking. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov. A comprehensive list of grant awardees may be found here.
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