Washington to get $30M for opioid battle

Washington state will get nearly $30 million from the federal government to fight our opioid crisis.

As part of a Department of Health and Human Services grant, about $21 million will go towards the state health care authority, which handles Medicaid, among other things. Counties will also receive roughly $8 million from that same grant.

Governor Inslee said in a news release, “While the opioid crisis is affecting our entire nation, many of the best solutions are at the community level. This funding will help Washington continue our efforts to prevent misuse in the first place, and treat our friends and family who are experiencing opioid use disorder.”

The grant money will help increase access to medication assisted treatment, community prevention services, recovery support, and to expand treatment for incarcerated people addicted to opioids.

Meanwhile, Senator Cantwell is touting the Opioid Crisis Response Act, which is also aimed at combating the opioid crisis.

The bill received bipartisan support in the Senate with a 99-1 vote on Monday. Only Utah Sen. Mike Lee rejected the bill, according to Slate. It now moves on to the House.

“This is the way government is supposed to work,” said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. “Federal government, local government, state government working together to solve problems. The problem is large, the problem is difficult.”

Cantwell’s office said nearly 700 Washingtonians died of an opioid-related overdose in 2016 alone, 225 of those in King County alone.

“From Port Angeles to Spokane, I guarantee you I’ve heard about this problem, seen how our communities are struggling, and this is the very help they’ve been asking for,” Senator Cantwell said in a news release. “They want new tools, they want better solutions, and they want us to join the fight against drug manufacturers who push this out … so that our law enforcement can cut down on the huge amount of opioids streaming into our community.”