Colorado receives $30 million in funding for opioid epidemic, but how will they spend it?
Colorado is stepping up the fight against the nationwide opioid crisis and they’re getting a lot of money to do it.
The Colorado Department of Human Services has received $30 million dollars in grant money from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Human Services.
The money is meant to be spent over the course of two years by the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health (CBH), but because it’s such a large amount, KRDO is asking how will it be spent?
First, on the list for the director, Dr. Robert Werthwein, is, “increasing the number of people getting Buprenorphine in the state of Colorado.”
Buprenorphine is a narcotic that helps addicts wean off painkillers. $5.1 million dollars will be used specifically to provide it those who are addicted but are also uninsured and underinsured.
Another nearly $1 million dollars will be used to certify doctors and nurse practitioners across the state to distribute the drug.
Dr. Werthwein says another big portion of the money will be used to purchase six mobile health units. That’s going to cost the CBH $6.7 million dollars to buy the vehicle, including the equipment and staff them with about four people each.
The deaths across Colorado from opioid overdose has been staggering. In 2017, the CBH says 558 people died from an opioid overdose and 44,000 are “in need of opioid treatment.”
Dr. Leon Kelly, Chief Medical Examiner, and El Paso County Coroner sees the end result of those deaths.
He says, “this is a complicated issue that’s going to take years, decades to fight our way out of it,” but adds access to help might be a good start.
“It’s just getting the people to them and getting the resources to have enough availability. to serve all the people that need help.”
Other resources the grant money is going to includes, $1.6 million dollars for naloxone kits, typically referred to as Narcan and only used when someone has already overdosed.
