SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois is receiving a $16 million federal grant to fight opioid abuse.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration announced the grant Friday. The Illinois Department of Human Services will administer it to fight a scourge that claimed 2,000 lives in Illinois last year.
It’s the second consecutive year Illinois has received funding from the 21st Century Cures Act .
Officials say the grant will provide new treatment and recovery services and expand medication-assisted treatment for those with opioid-use disorder. It will boost the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program and enhance programs to assist people released from county jails.
The grant will also provide continued training for first responders who often save lives by treating overdose victims quickly. Human Services funds have trained nearly 18,000 people in using a drug which reverse overdose effects.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.