$70 million going to Georgia programs to combat opioid crisis
ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDA/WAGT) - The Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust announced $70.3 million in grant funding to 128 Georgia-based projects to address the opioid crisis.
Of the $70.3 million, the Trust has designated $43.4 million of funding in the first year and $26.9 million in the second year.
Nationwide statistics from the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that opioid overdose deaths dipped in 2023 and have continued to drop monthly throughout 2024.
Ga. senators want mental health money, staffing to address prison deaths
Georgia lawmakers should consider expanding mental health services, staffing and de-escalation training to address deaths and neglect at state prisons, a of lawmakers said last week.
Danielle Bonanno is the executive director of Inclusive Recovery Athens, which focuses on recovery for marginalized communities, including veterans, people with disabilities, and of the LGBTQ+ community.
Her program was selected to receive more than $360,000 from the funding. She said she was elated.
“Our recovery community here is just really good at meeting people where they’re at. For us, we’re just really ready to be able to put a roof over everybody’s heads,” said Bonanno.
The Georgia Opioid Abatement Trust received 308 applications during its inaugural grant application period earlier this year.
Finding Solutions: New nonprofit offers free medical equipment
Dana’s Recovery Room started inside the Immanuel Baptist Church in North Augusta. And now, a new recovery room has opened in its place to continue the mission.
The Trust is managed by the commissioner for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
“Opioid-related overdoses have devastated families, but these grants will start to turn the tide,” said Kevin Tanner, trustee of the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. “Through strategic partnerships and targeted investments, we are equipping communities with the resources they need to combat this crisis and save lives. Transparency, ability, and meaningful outcomes are at the heart of these efforts. I want to thank the Georgia Opioid Settlement Advisory Commission and the Regional Advisory Councils who spent countless hours vetting the proposed projects.”
Tanner anticipates reopening the application process in 2025.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
