From staff reports OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Gentner Drummond and his staff are reviewing 101 applications for the first distribution of grant funds from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board. The application process for $23 million in funds to fight Oklahoma’s opioid crisis was conducted from December through March.
Applications from eligible political subdivisions span 34 counties, 33 school districts, 22 municipalities, seven public trusts and two technical school districts in Oklahoma.
The applicants included Lawton and Altus; Comanche County Memorial Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital Authority; Comanche Public Schools; and the counties of Caddo, Comanche, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, Stephens and Tillman.
“Entities from all across the state are seeking this grant funding to help curb Oklahoma’s opioid epidemic,” Drummond said. “It is important these funds get to local communities to remove fentanyl and other deadly opioids from our streets and to provide help for those grappling with addiction.”
Grants will finance treatment and recovery programs, assistance with co-occurring disorders and mental health issues, opioid abuse education and prevention, proper prescription efforts and strategies to decrease the supply of narcotics across the state, Drummond said.
A subcommittee of the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board will use a rubric to score the applications and will then provide recommendations to the full nine-member board for a vote at its May 22 meeting.
The money was derived from legal settlements against opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
The Legislature controls another $37.6 million sitting in the Opioid Lawsuit Settlement Fund, according to Oklahoma Watch. Additional funds are expected in coming years since some settlements call for multi-year payouts.