$2.5 million grant to help recovery – Carnevalestoricocivitonico

Nuria Martinez-Keel
| Oklahoma Voice

OKLAHOMA CITY — Fourteen counties, two cities and two school districts will share $2.5 million in grants to fight opioid addiction in Oklahoma and support recovery programs.

The state Opioid Abatement Board awarded its second round of grants Wednesday out of the $1 billion the state has received from drug companies in lawsuit settlements over the past five years. The board issued $11 million in June.

Comanche and Osage counties received the largest sum of $300,000 each from the grants awarded this week, according to a release from Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who heads the Opioid Abatement Board.

“I am pleased that we are able to provide resources for communities across our state to combat the devastating effects of fentanyl and other deadly opioids,” Drummond said in a statement. “These funds will help take opioids off our streets and provide relief to Oklahomans struggling with addiction.”

The money will support education about opioid abuse, addiction treatment and strategies to reduce the supply of drugs in Oklahoma, the attorney general’s office said.

Comanche County will use the grant to provide housing for those recovering from opioid addiction, provide transportation for drug court participants and fund an opioid group. Osage County will partner with the Osage Nation to provide treatment, prevention and counseling support services, according to Drummond’s announcement.

Twelve other rural municipalities successfully applied for the grant, as did the city of Warr Acres and Ponca City.

Lawton Public Schools and Owasso Public Schools will also receive funds.

Lawton schools received $75,000, Superintendent Kevin Hime said.

He said that the area will use the grant to train teachers in Good Behavior Gamewhich rewards students for limiting disruptive behaviors. A study of first and second graders in Baltimore beginning in 1985-86, found that students who participated in the Good Behavior Game had lower rates of drug abuse in adulthood.

Owasso will use its $150,000 grant to hire a nurse at the district’s alternative high school, Ram Academy, and for evidence-based prevention programs, communications director Jordan Korphage said. The school nurse will lead the development of an opioid awareness curriculum for students.

“The safety and security of students and staff is the highest priority for Owasso Public Schools,” Korphage said. “These funds will help us educate students about the dangers of opioid abuse and promote healthy lifestyles, which are the foundation for academic success. When students feel physically and emotionally well, they are better equipped to focus, engage and excel in the classroom.”

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein with questions:[email protected]. Follow the Oklahoma Voice onFacebook andChirp.

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