LAWTON – Comanche County is taking steps to f ight the state’s opioid crisis with the help of a $300,000 grant from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board.
With little discussion, the Board of Comanche County Commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 16 to acknowledge a notice of award from the Opioid Abatement Board, which is chaired by Attorney General Gentner Drummond. The grant was announced in late November.
The commissioners also voted 3-0 to approve a grant award agreement with the Opioid Abatement Board and a project management agreement with Oklahoma Alliance for Recovery Resources Inc., an Oklahoma City-based organization that promotes access to recovery-based living environments and community resources.
Under the county’s agreement with OKARR, the organization will perform the following tasks:
• Develop and maintain a project plan, timeline and milestones.
• Oversee implementation of the plan to meet grant requirements.
• Track progress toward meeting the plan’s goals.
• Prepare and submit required reports to the county and/or the Opioid Abatement Board.
OKARR will also serve as a point of contact for stakeholders and keep track of the project’s budget, expenses and compliance with grant requirements. Curbing opioid addiction Last month, the Opioid Abatement Board awarded $2.5 million in grants to 14 counties, two cities and two school districts to address the opioid epidemic. Seven counties in southwest Oklahoma, including Comanche County, were among the recipients.
The grants will fund treatment and recovery programs, opioid abuse education and strategies for reducing the supply of narcotics across the state, the attorney general’s office said in a Nov. 21 news release.
Comanche County will use its $300,000 grant to help fund a multicounty opioid task force, provide housing for people recovering from opioid addiction and furnish transportation for drug court participants, according to the news release.