More than $1.7 million to combat opioid use will benefit Akron authorities

Twelve agencies in Summit County will receive 13 grants totaling more than $1.7 million to help combat opioid use disorder and prevent overdose deaths.

The money is part of a $100 million federal grant being distributed across the state by Gov. Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS).

The grants mark the fourth round of federal Opioid and Stimulant Response Funds (SOS) awarded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support local organizations that provide prevention, harm reduction, treatment and long-term recovery services for Offer Ohioans struggling with an opioid or stimulant use disorder.

“We are empowering our local partners to advance their work to protect communities and families from the devastating effects of opioids and other substances,” DeWine said in a news release. “The overdose death rate in Ohio has declined significantly in recent years, and our goal is to use these grants to continue this encouraging progress.”

DeWine recently announced that overdose deaths in Ohio have declined for two years in a row, including in 2023, when Ohio saw a 9% decline in overdose deaths, compared to the national decline of 2 %.

Agencies receiving grants in Summit County include:

A portion of the funds will be used by OhioMHAS to work with state agencies to make naloxone and other community resources available throughout the state.

Key priorities for the SOS grants include:

• Reducing unintentional overdose deaths.
• Improving access to treatment for substance use disorders.
• Preventing drug use among young people.
• Increasing recovery support services.
• Support responsible prescribing practices and statewide education efforts.
• Promote integrated harm reduction practices.

“Although the data is trending in the right direction,” said LeeAnne Cornyn, director of OhioMHAS, “we are not out of the woods yet. Fentanyl continues to pose a serious threat to our communities, and that is why we are committed to investing these resources wisely in projects that make a real difference and ultimately save lives.”

Click here for more information about SOS funding activities in Ohio.