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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Three Million in
Grants Awarded to Address Opioid Epidemic
(STRONGSVILLE, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced this
morning 40 law enforcement departments and their partners will receive
$3 million in grants that will be used to help replicate or expand Drug
Abuse Response Teams (DARTs) and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to address
the opioid epidemic in Ohio.
“There is so much good work going on to fight this opioid epidemic and
with this new grant money, we can make even more of a difference, as we
all work together to save more Ohioans,” said Ohio Attorney General
Mike DeWine. “This opioid fight is challenging, but we can continue to
make progress.”
The $3 million in new grant funding from the state budget will be
administered by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. At minimum, a
local law enforcement agency partnered with a treatment provider. Many
grant recipients included other partners, such as fire department
personnel, emergency management employees, faith-based leaders, and
children's services organizations.
These DART and QRT teams generally are made up of law enforcement
officers partnering with drug treatment providers and others who assist
overdose survivors in the recovery process. Team members visit
survivors after an overdose and offer counseling and referrals to drug
rehabilitation facilities for assessment, detoxification, on-going drug
treatment, and aftercare. These teams work to reduce overdose-related
deaths, reduce repeated overdoses per victim, and increase the support
network for survivors and their families.
Attorney General DeWine made the announcement at Strongsville Police
Department, a grant recipient, along with other grant recipients.
“I am optimistic that the local initiative being launched by the
Strongsville Police Department will make a difference in the opioid
crises,” said Strongsville Mayor Thomas Perciak. “I am so proud
that the faith community, business community and local government have
partnered in this effort. And I appreciate the work being done by
Attorney General Mike DeWine to make such local programs a reality.”
Grant recipients are expected to start using the grant money for law
enforcement teams before the end of the year.
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