WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) continues his efforts to help Ohio combat the opioid epidemic. Today, Brown announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is releasing a total of $485 million for states like Ohio to fight the opioid crisis. The grant funding is the second batch of funding made possible by the 21st Century Cures Act, which Brown supported. Last year, Ohio received $26 million in the first round of funding, and the state is expected to receive a similar amount this year.

Additional funding will be coming to through the bipartisan budget deal Brown supported in March.

“For too long, Ohio communities have been desperate for the federal government to step up and provide the necessary resources to effectively combat the opioid epidemic,” said Brown. “While we know there is more work to be done, this funding is a meaningful step forward for Ohio. It’s important that the state work to get this funding out to local communities quickly as they continue to battle this epidemic.”

Also this week, Brown joined colleagues in a letter to HHS calling for immediate action to reduce the price of naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug. The Senators’ letter follows a recent national advisory issued by the United States Surgeon General urging more Americans to keep on hand and learn how to use naloxone delivery devices.

“No police officer, no firefighter, no public health provider, and no person should be unable to save a life because of the high price,” wrote the lawmakers. “By bringing down the cost, we can get this life-saving drug in the hands of more people as called for by the Surgeon General. Doing so will save countless lives.”

Full text of the letter can be found here.

Brown has led the charge to help Ohio communities secure the resources they need as they continue to battle the addiction crisis. In the spending package signed into law earlier this year, Brown helped secure $3 billion in funding to combat the opioid crisis and ensure Ohio will be among the first in line to receive opioid funding. The funding is in addition to the grant funding from the 21st Century Cures Act announced today.

The package also includes $65 million to fund opioid detection devices and equipment called for in Brown’s INTERDICT Act, which President Trump signed into law earlier this year. The devices will help Customs and Border Agents detect and stop dangerous drugs like fentanyl before they enter the U.S. 

Earlier this month, Brown introduced bipartisan legislation with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to address the workforce shortage created by the addiction crisis. The Senators’ bill, the Collectively Achieving Recovery and Employment (CARE) Act, would combine existing grant programs at the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a six-year pilot project to combine job training and addiction recovery services.

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