The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today that it plans to award more than $12 million this week to 23 states and the District of Columbia to support their efforts in tackling the opioid overdose epidemic.
The funding comes from the fiscal year 2017 omnibus appropriations bill that became law in May. States applied for the financial support through the government’s Enhanced State Surveillance of Opioid-Involved Morbidity and Mortality (ESOOS) program and the Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States (PfS) program.
The CDC added that the agency plans to help fund additional state opioid overdose prevention programs later this summer.
“The opioid epidemic is a scourge on our nation that knows no bounds,” Health and Human Services secretary Dr. Tom Price said in prepared remarks. “President Trump and we at HHS are working to support states on the front lines of this national crisis. This new support from CDC, funded by the appropriations bill President Trump signed in May, will help states and local authorities track this epidemic and respond in real time.”
Under the ESOOS program, $7.5 million is slated to go to 20 additional states and the District of Columbia to help track opioid-involved nonfatal and fatal overdoses. This effort specifically helps states share data with the CDC in an attempt to track opioid-involved overdoses across state lines, according to the agency.
12 states received funding under this program last year, bringing the total number of states that are supported by ESOOS funds to 32.
Under the PfS program, $4.8 million is slated to go to 8 states to boost prescription drug monitoring programs and help implement safe opioid prescribing practices.
“More than 90 Americans lose their lives to the opioid overdose epidemic every day, which is devastating to their communities and families,” newly-appointed CDC Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald added. “Supporting state efforts is crucial to stop these tragic losses.”
