Pennsylvania Set to Receive $26.5 Million in Federal Support to Combat Opioid Crisis

Press Release

The Department of Health and Human Services announced last night the first round of state grants to help states combat the opioid abuse epidemic. Pennsylvania will receive more than $26.5 million in federal dollars to support a broad array of treatment and prevention services. The grants were authorized by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), landmark bipartisan opioid legislation signed into law last year and championed by Congressman Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.).

"The opioid epidemic has reached crisis proportions and tens of thousands of Pennsylvania families have been affected," said Congressman Meehan. "Congress passed bipartisan opioid abuse legislation last year and giving more federal support to states like Pennsylvania was a key part of it. This grant will put more resources in the hands of those on the front lines of the fight against opioid addiction in Pennsylvania."

Pennsylvania is set to receive the fourth-largest federal grant awarded, following only California, Texas and Florida. A total of $485 million in federal grants were announced last night.

"I'm pleased to see Pennsylvania receive such a significant share of funding -- but it's also a somber recognition of the fact that our communities have been hit particularly hard by this epidemic. Congress must sustain its commitment to funding CARA and explore other ways the federal government can help states and communities combat the crisis."

Meehan, a co-sponsor of CARA, served on the joint House-Senate conference committee that crafted the final legislation. He authored the John Thomas Decker Act, which seeks to prevent young athletes from becoming addicted to pain pills after an injury. The Decker Act was included in CARA and was signed into law on July 22, 2016.

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