Trump speaks on opioid epidemic; announces state, local grants

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President Donald Trump was set to deliver remarks on Wednesday during an announcement of nearly $2 billion in grants awarded to state and local governments to tackle the opioid crisis.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the roughly $1.8 billion will be used for expanding access to opioid treatments and gathering case data across states. 

The money will come from the Centers for Disease Control and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services. CDC will spend $900 million over three years to track overdose data and SAMHS is awarding $932 million, disbursed among all 50 states, to help support prevention, treatment and recovery services.

The funding will support “expanding the use of medication-assisted treatment in criminal justice settings or in rural areas via telemedicine to youth-focused, community-based prevention efforts, recovery supports like employment coaching, and support for the distribution of naloxone,” as well as tracking opioid overdoses, according to the HHS.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia are among jurisdictions sharing $301 million in the first year, according to the Associated Press.

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