Press Releases

Carper, Coons and Blunt Rochester Announce $2,000,000 Grant to Combat the Opioid Epidemic

WILMINGTON, Del. – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper, Chris Coons, along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) announced a $2,000,000 Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) grant award to the state of Delaware. The STR grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will go toward increasing access to opioid-related treatment, reducing overdose deaths, and expanding treatment and recovery options for substance abusers in Delaware. The additional funding will help Delaware combat the opioid crisis that has already claimed a suspected 87 lives this year.

As part of a nationwide $458 million effort to combat the national opioid health crisis, Delaware received $2 million in STR grant funding in 2017 to create three new recovery centers and deploy newly-trained substance abuse coaches around the state. The additional $2 million in STR grant funding announced by HHS will continue to support the recovery centers and strategically placed substance abuse coaches. The STR grant program was created following the passage of the 21st Century Cures Act.

“Opioids are the main driver of drug overdoses in our country, and Delaware has not been immune to this crisis, with opioids taking hundreds of lives each year, tearing families apart, and putting an unsustainable strain on our first responders,” said Senator Carper. “Recently, I worked with my Republican colleagues on a report that revealed how drug traffickers exploit vulnerabilities in our international mail system to easily ship synthetic drugs like fentanyl from China into the United States. While we work to combat access to these drugs and prevent addiction, we must also work on improving and expanding treatment and recovery options to those who need it. While this Opioid State Targeted Response grant will help us take important steps in our fight to curb this deadly epidemic, there is still much more still that needs to be done to help those suffering now and to prevent new addictions in the future. Senator Coons, Congresswoman Blunt Rochester and I will continue working to make sure the First State has the resources and tools necessary to combat this crisis.”

“Communities up and down our state have been impacted by a devastating crisis of heroin and opioid drug abuse that often lead to overdoses and death,” said Senator Coons. “One of the most tragic things about the opioid epidemic is that it is both preventable and treatable with the right programs and resources. The Opioid State Targeted Response grant award will help Delaware tackle this epidemic, by improving access to opioid-related treatment, curbing overdose deaths, and expanding treatment options for those who suffer from substance abuse in Delaware. As long as the crisis continues to impact our communities, we have to keep up our efforts and make sure that important programs to prevent opioid abuse don’t end up as budget casualties. I will continue fighting to make sure Delaware gets much-needed federal funds to fight the opioid epidemic.”

“Opioid and heroin addiction is a disease that does not discriminate along racial or socio-economic lines. It affects everyone, and it is devastating communities, large and small, across the First State,” said Congresswoman Blunt Rochester.  “This much-needed grant will allow Delaware to construct new recovery centers and hire additional staff. With an estimated 11,000 Delawareans in need of opioid treatment, I am hopeful that this funding will make meaningful strides in assisting people who suffer from substance abuse gain access to addiction care and mental health services. As a Member of the House’s Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, I am working to pass legislation that would expand Medicaid addiction treatment services, arm border patrol agents with new tools to combat drug trafficking, and establish pediatric care centers to treat babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Though I am pleased with this award, the human cost of addiction is simply too great not to take bigger steps toward a comprehensive strategy. I will continue working across the aisle to advance policies that make communities across the country healthier and safer.”

“Today’s announcement that Delaware will receive a $2 million federal grant to help more people get the treatment they need is good news in our battle against addiction,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Delaware had 345 overdose deaths in 2017, according to the Division of Forensic Science, 12 percent more than in 2016, Secretary Walker noted. “Our website, HelpIsHereDE.com, offers a list of treatment services and other resources available in Delaware and the surrounding area,” said Secretary Walker.  “This grant can help us connect people in the throes of addiction to the right services for them at the right time.”

According to a Delaware Department of Justice report, an average of 20 Delawareans die each month of an opioid-related overdose. That same report found that 11,000 Delawareans are in need of treatment, but only 6,000 people receive some form of healthcare service.

The HHS STR grants, which were created by the 21st Century Cures Act, aim to expand Delaware’s capacity to more efficiently address the increased demand for access and provide timely delivery for various treatment options. An additional $1 billion in recently appropriated funds will be dispersed in September 2018. 

###