Kentucky gets $87 million federal grant to reduce opioid deaths

Courier Journal

Kentucky is taking part in a new national effort to combat opioid addiction and overdose deaths, thanks to an $87 million grant from the federal government.

The University of Kentucky announced the receipt of the grant — its largest ever — on Thursday.

The university, in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, received $87 million from the federal government to study and combat the state's ongoing opioid epidemic.

Gov. Matt Bevin, who attended the announcement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, said this program is a "great opportunity" for the state.

"I am convinced we'll get it done in Kentucky," Bevin said.

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The grant, which will be awarded over four years, lays out an ambitious goal: to reduce opioid deaths in 16 Kentucky counties by 40% in three years.

The counties being targeted are considered "highly affected communities." They are: Fayette, Jessamine, Clark, Kenton, Campbell, Mason, Greenup, Carter, Boyd, Knox, Jefferson, Franklin, Boyle, Madison, Bourbon and Floyd.

Together, these counties had 764 overdose deaths from opioids in 2017, and all but one-third involved fentanyl. Those counties also represent more than 40% of the state's population.

Sharon Walsh, director of UK's Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, said the grant is both a "really tall order" and a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Walsh and her fellow researchers at UK will work closely with community agencies doing the targeted treatment and intervention work in the 16 selected counties. In addition to reducing opioid deaths by 40%, the study also aims to improve the use of medications in treating opioid use disorder, expand overdose prevention and reduce the supply of opioids being prescribed.

For example, transportation to and from treatment is a challenging issue for people with addictions living in rural communities, so the grant has money set aside to try to reduce that barrier, Walsh said. Would providing transportation assistance increase the number of people who complete treatment? The study intends to find out.

There's no set number of people the study aims to reach. Instead, Walsh said it will try to reach particular people where they may have some point of contact with a system. About 70,000 people in those 16 counties are on parole or probation, she said, and thousands more participate in syringe service programs.

"It can be challenging because it's a hidden population," she said of trying to reach people who may benefit from intervention.

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UK, Kentucky among elite group selected for grant

More than a dozen states applied to be a part of the HEALing Communities Study — Helping to End Addiction Long-term — and just four were selected. About $350 million is being committed to the study, which includes Massachusetts, New York and Ohio. The Boston Medical Center, Columbia University and Ohio State University will spearhead those efforts, respectively.

"It is a dream team for all of us," said Dr. Francis S. Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

All four states must involve at least 15 rural and urban counties, and work toward the 40% reduction in overdoses goal. By quickly rolling out innovative solutions to opioid addiction and overdose in these four states, federal officials hope that will accelerate implementing scientifically proven programs elsewhere around the country.

In 2017, more than 47,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses. Kentucky is ranked fifth in the nation for opioid overdose deaths.

“Kentuckians know the insidiousness of this disease better than most,” UK President Eli Capilouto said in a news release. “The opioid epidemic does not discriminate by zip code, race, income, or any other demographic characteristic. It is not a character or moral failing, but an illness. ... That is why we believe aggressive, ambitious change is possible. Indeed, it is essential. That is why we believe we can — and must — lead the way.”

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader and senior member of the Appropriations Committee, advocated for bringing the funding to the commonwealth.

“Kentuckians in both rural and urban communities continue to endure the serious damage of substance abuse," McConnell said in a news release. "Unfortunately, Kentucky is one of the hardest hit states, but we’re also on the forefront of the national response."

UK's previous largest grant was a $25 million award for math and science education in Appalachia.

Reach Tessa Duvall at tduvall@courier-journal.com and 502-582-4059. Twitter: @TessaDuvall. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/subscribe.