Justice Department Awards More Than 333 Million To Fight Opioid Crisis

CONTACT: Barbara Burns
PHONE: (716) 843-5817
FAX #: (716) 551-3051

BUFFALO, NY – The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs today announced awards of more than $333,000,000 to help communities affected by the opioid crisis. $1,261,995 will help public safety and public health professionals in Niagara, Erie, and Monroe Counties in the Western District of New York to combat substance abuse and respond effectively to overdoses. An additional $13,000,000 will fund related efforts across New York State.

“Opioids have taken the lives of far too many of our loved ones,” said United States Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. “In the Western District of New York, partners across the community, including our Office, have joined forces to tackle this deadly epidemic head on and, while we have seen success in our fight, even one death is too many. This funding will assist us as we continue to innovate and find new ways to eradicate these deadly drugs—and the destruction they wreak with them—from our community.”  

“The opioid crisis has destroyed far too many lives and left too many Americans feeling helpless and hopeless,” said PDAAG Sullivan. “This epidemic—the most deadly in our nation’s history—is introducing new dangers and loading public health responsibilities onto the public safety duties of our law enforcement officers. The Department of Justice is here to support them during this unprecedented and extremely challenging time.”

The Western District of New York recipients include:

• Niagara County which will receive $898,887 to expand access to supervision, treatment and recovery support services across the criminal justice system; support law enforcement and other first responder diversion programs for non-violent drug offenders; promote education and prevention activities; and address the needs of children impacted by the opioid epidemic;
• The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office will receive $183,108 under the Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program, which addresses the extreme shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists and aims to improve medical examiner-coroner services by supporting efforts toward agency accreditation;
• The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office Toxicology Laboratory will receive $180,000 to be used, in part, to address the backlogs of seized drugs as a result of the opioid crisis; and
• New York State will receive a total of $13,513,000 for various opiate related efforts and programs.
 
With more than 130 people dying from opioid-related overdoses every day, the Department of Justice has made fighting addiction to opioids—including heroin and fentanyl—a national priority. The Trump Administration is providing critical funding for a wide range of activities—from preventive services and comprehensive treatment to recovery assistance, forensic science services and research—to help save lives and break the cycle of addiction and crime.

The awards announced today support an array of activities designed to reduce the harm inflicted by these dangerous drugs. Grants will help law enforcement officers, emergency responders and treatment professionals coordinate their response to overdoses. Funds will also provide services for children and youth affected by the crisis and will support the nationwide network of drug and treatment courts. Other awards will address prescription drug abuse, expand the capacity of forensic labs and support opioid-related research.

Information about the programs and awards announced today is available here. For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.

The Office of Justice Programs, directed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan, provides federal leadership, grants, training and technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, assist victims and enhance the rule of law by strengthening the criminal and juvenile justice systems. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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