Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is hailing the announcement of grant funding to tackle opioid addiction in Oregon.
As part of the 21st Century Cures Act, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the second round of grants to help states and territories combat the opioid epidemic. Oregon will receive $6,564,425 in grants that will be administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and be used toward the prevention of opioid abuse and treatment to those affected. Oregon received $6.5 million in the first round of grants that were announced in April 2017.
“These are vital and welcome resources in the fight to combat the opioid crisis. As we continue to hear of loved ones lost, this is another tool in our arsenal,” said Walden.
Walden called combating the opioid crisis in Oregon and across the country his top priority as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Walden has held roundtable discussions and meetings throughout Oregon’s Second Congressional District to understand what is working — and what is not working — in the fight against the opioid crisis on the ground in Oregon.
“At roundtables throughout my district in Oregon, I’ve met with the victims, families, doctors, treatment advocates, and law enforcement officers on the front lines of this fight,” said Walden during his speech. “Their stories are all too similar, and all too familiar, and they put names and faces to a crisis that has touched every community in our country.”
