LAWTON – Seven southwest Oklahoma counties will receive $1.10 million altogether in grants to help fight the state’s opioid crisis.
Caddo, Comanche, Grady, Jefferson, Kiowa, Stephens and Tillman counties each received grants from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a Nov. 21 news release. Lawton Public Schools also received a $75,000 grant from the board.
The grants for each recipient are as follows:
• Caddo: $150,000 to fund a multi-county opioid task force and provide recovery housing and transportation for drug court participants.
• Comanche: $300,000 to fund the task force and provide housing, training and services for people in recovery.
• Grady: $150,000 to fund the task force and provide housing, support and prevention education for people in recovery.
• Jefferson: $58,898 to fund the task force and provide housing, rent assistance and utility assistance for those in recovery.
* Kiowa: $150,000 to fund the task force, provide transportation and eviction prevention services for drug court participants and launch school-based prevention programs.
• Stephens: $150,000 to start a recovery center, which will provide resources, peer support, educational programs and community engagement for people dealing with substance abuse.
• Tillman: $150,000 to fund the task force, provide transportation for drug court participants, distribute overdose emergency kits in key public places and offer rent and utility assistance for people in recovery.
• Lawton Public Schools: $75,000 for Pax Good Behavior Games and the Project Aware program for schools.
The Pax Good Behavior Game is an adaptation of the original Good Behavior Game, which was developed by researchers at the University of Kansas, according to the Arizona-based Paxis Institute. The institute developed and promoted a version of the game, which offers teachers classroom strategies to improve students’ ability to regulate themselves.
The Project Aware program promotes students’ mental health and improves their connections to services, according to the Lawton Public Schools website.
Fighting the opioid crisis The seven counties and LPS were among 14 counties and two school districts who received grant funds from the Opioid Abatement Board, which is chaired by Attorney General Drummond. The grants went to applicants whose requests were not approved during the f irst round of grants in June but submitted corrected applications before the second round.
Funding for the grants comes from the state’s legal settlements in lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers.