The Trump administration is awarding nearly $2 billion in grants to states and local governments to help fight the opioid crisis, including $46.7 million for Tennessee, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar says the grants come from money that President Donald Trump secured from Congress last year.
Trump is scheduled to discuss the grants at the White House later Wednesday.
The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration is awarding $932 million to every state and some U.S. territories to help provide treatment and recovery services that meet local needs.
Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will get $900 million under a three-year program to help state and local governments better track overdose data.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia are among jurisdictions sharing $301 million in the first year.
From 2017 to 2018, provisional counts of drug overdose deaths dropped by five percent, and overdose deaths from opioids went down 2.8 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to HHS. The number of individuals reporting pain reliever misuse decreased from 2017 to 2018 by 11 percent, with fewer than 10 million Americans now reporting misuse. Heroin-related opioid use disorder also decreased significantly among young adults.
This is a developing story. Stay with the Times Free Press for updates.