HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is looking to use money from the nationwide settlements related to the opioid epidemic to fund groups that work with the hardest-hit communities.
The state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs plans to give grants of up to $400,000 to organizations that aim to reverse the growing trend of overdose deaths in communities of color, especially among Black Pennsylvanians.
- The overdose death rate of Black Pennsylvanians was twice as high as white Pennsylvanians in 2021, according to the state's drug and alcohol department
- The state plans to give grants of up to $400,000 to organizations that aim to reverse the growing trend of overdose deaths in communities of color
- The funding comes in part from settlements related to the nationwide opioid epidemic
The deadline for organizations to apply for the Services for BIPOC Communities grant is March 10. Information on how to apply can be found at DDAP.PA.gov.
Overdose deaths among Black Pennsylvanians increased nearly 40% from 2019 to 2020, according to DDAP. Then in 2021, the department found that the overdose death rate of Black Pennsylvanians was almost twice that of white Pennsylvanians.
“As part of the 2022-23 state budget, DDAP was appropriated about $16.5 million opioid distributor settlement funding that will be allocated in-part to this funding opportunity,” department press secretary Stephany Dugan said.
A quarter of that will be doled out over 12 months starting in July, Dugan said.
DDAP laid out specifics for eligible organizations, including those who offer harm reduction services, education, access to medication-assisted treatment and recovery support to "Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities” in the grant initiative document.
The department also will consider organizations that provide offender re-entry support.
The money previously collected from settlements comes from pharmaceutical distributors who were made to pay for their role in the opioid epidemic. More than $2 billion dollars will come to Pennsylvania over the next 15 years from several settlements, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general.
But Dugan said this year’s funding comes from settlements with Cardinal Health, McKesson Corporation,
AmerisourceBergen and Johnson & Johnson for their “role in creating and fueling the nationwide opioid crisis.”