Kentucky to Receive $5 Million for Substance Abuse Prevention Efforts

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today eight Kentucky communities will receive a total of $5 million over five years for their substance abuse prevention efforts. Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) James Carroll, also known as the Drug Czar, contacted Senator McConnell to share the recipients of the funding from the Drug-Free Communities Program.

"Across Kentucky and the country, we're investing in our comprehensive response to opioid and substance abuse. I'm grateful to Director Carroll and the dedicated Kentuckians who are working to keep drugs away from our children," said Senator McConnell. "Tragically, substance abuse is an ongoing problem in Kentucky. The multi-year federal resources for these programs can help educators and local leaders develop a long-term strategy to fight abuse and save lives."

The following entities will each receive $125,000 annually for five years for their addiction prevention efforts:

Butler County Educational Foundation
Campbell County Drug Free Alliance
Erlanger-Elsmere Board of Education
Family & Children's Place (Louisville)
Graves County Fiscal Court
Muhlenberg County Health Department
Shawnee Transformation Youth Coalition (Louisville)
Spencer County Public Schools
Earlier this year, Senator McConnell applauded ONDCP's announcements of $2.25 million into Kentucky's substance abuse prevention efforts.

"The E3C Drug Free project and the Erlanger-Elsmere Schools are humbled and proud to be a recipient of the Drug Free Communities Support Program Grant," said Erlanger-Elsmere Superintendent Chad D. Molley. "Thanks to Senator McConnell, this funding will provide an incredible opportunity for our school district to increase community partnerships and to offer valuable resources to our students and families. These partnerships and resources will enable us to deepen our district's whole-child, whole-family approach to public education, which will, in turn, have a long-term positive impact on our community.

Since becoming Majority Leader in 2015, Senator McConnell has prioritized the fight against the opioid and substance abuse epidemic by increasing federal funding for the response. Under Senator McConnell's leadership, Kentucky has received more than $275 million. He worked with the University of Kentucky to help secure an $87 million competitive federal grant--the largest in school history--to address the opioid crisis in high-risk communities. He has also helped secure the inclusion of some of Kentucky's hardest-hit counties in the ONDCP's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program to promote coordination and support for law enforcement in Kentucky.
Senator McConnell consistently draws attention to Kentucky's prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts with the President's Cabinet and federal agencies. Multiple ONDCP Directors have visited Kentucky at his request to see the innovative work being done in the Commonwealth. This year, Director Jim Carroll visited Simpson, Logan, Clark, and Boyd counties at Senator McConnell's request to discuss the benefits of their recent HIDTA designations.

In 2018, President Trump signed into law the landmark opioid and substance abuse bill Senator McConnell helped shepherd to enactment. The bill included his CAREER Act -- which U.S. Congressmen Andy Barr (KY-06) introduced in the House -- recognizing the connection among employment, housing, and long-term recovery. The legislation also contained the Senator's Protecting Moms and Infants Act, which authorized an increase in federal funding to help babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

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