Federal Grant in Utah for Drug Prevention
Nearly one person dies in Utah every day due to prescription drug – mostly opioid – overdose. Recently, a federal grant for $2 million for drug prevention was awarded to Utah. Administrators and directors who stand to use the funds are hoping that the preventative tools they can now implement will go a long way.
Utah will receive $375,000 per year from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen prevention efforts and raise awareness about the increase in prescription drug abuse. Focusing on the alarming increase in opioid abuse, Dr. Tom Friedan indicated that, “states are on the front line of preventing prescription opioid overdoses. It is critical that state health departments have the support they need to combat the epidemic. States can use these funds to develop, implement and evaluate programs that save lives.”
Craig PoVey, prevention administrator at the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health indicated that getting parents on-board with the prevention tactics is key. Noting that parents have a huge impact on kids, he also pointed out hat prescription drug abuse is a huge problem among adults, many of them parents.
Leaders and law enforcement agree that preventative measures are key in reducing the amount of addictions and overdoses related to opioids. Waiting for the crisis won’t help, they indicate. Being prepared and fighting back now is the only way to decrease the tragedy of opioid overdose and abuse in the future. It is the hope that the federal grant money given to Utah at this time will work to do just that.
Source: ksl.com