The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has received a $2 million grant for opioid response from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The grant is part of the 21st Century Cures Act which awards states funds based on need for opioid addiction treatment.
The goal of the grant is to increase access to treatment and reduce opioid-related deaths.
“We know the consequences of prescription drug misuse and abuse can be devastating and Nebraska is not immune,” Governor Pete Ricketts said in a release. “The opioid epidemic is taking hold across the country, but we have an opportunity to be proactive, focus on prevention and treatment and raise awareness now to help stop opioid abuse from reaching crisis levels here.”
In 2015, 149 Nebraskans died from drug overdose, at least 54 of those were opioid related.
Since 2004, Nebraska's drug overdose rate per 100,000 people has gone from 3.6 to 8.
