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Vice President Mike Pence comes to Ky. with $9 million in federal grants to battle opioid epidemic


By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

More than $9 million in federal grants to combat opioids in Kentucky were delivered Thursday.

Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, and Congressman Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, joined Gov. Matt Bevin in southeastern Kentucky.

Pence said the grants included $750,000 in training grants for the University of Pikeville, $167,000 for prevention and treatment services at Eastern Kentucky University, and $167,000 to Kentucky-based Grace Community Health Center, among others.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is with Vice President Mike Pence in Manchester, Kentucky, on Aug. 8. Kentucky received $9 million in federal grants to combat opioid abuse. (Screen shot from Gov. Matt Bevin’s Facebook page)

The Bevin administration says they have made attacking the opioid crisis a top priority, with a series of programs and policy initiatives to improve access to treatment and save lives. They include utilizing grants and expanded funding to increase access and training for naloxone, limiting opioid prescriptions, expanding addiction treatment services for incarcerated individuals, constructing innovative public awareness resources, and launching the Kentucky State Police Angel Initiative.

The recently released 2018 overdose report showed fatal drug overdoses in Kentucky declined by nearly 15 percent compared to the previous year.

The four men also visited the military’s Innovative Readiness Training mission command center, Operation Coal Country, in Southeast Kentucky.

They were briefed by military commanders on the IRT program, which is a joint-service medical mission primarily comprised of forces from the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, U.S. Navy Reserve, and U.S. Army Reserve. The program provides medical troops with “hands-on” readiness training, while at the same time providing direct and lasting benefits to those who visit the clinic locations.

In 2018, the Kentucky Department for Local Government hosted an IRT, Operation Bobcat, in Breathitt, Estill, Lee and Owsley counties. This mission provided the military with 13,000 training hours, treated 2,662 patients, performed 11,275 procedures, and provided $1,003,688 in services to the community.

This year’s mission, Operation Coal County, is being held in Clay, Jackson, Knox and Leslie counties and is projected to provide $1,000,000 of care to the community that otherwise would not have been available.

The governor said he was honored to be able to host Vice-President Pence and Secretary Azar for Thursday’s event.

“The military’s IRT program has provided essential no-cost medical services and screenings in Eastern Kentucky and we are grateful to all of the military personnel for their dedication to serving Kentuckians during their mission,” Bevin said. “The Vice President’s visit underscores the Trump administration’s unwavering commitment to advancing public health, and the announcement of additional grant funding for the commonwealth’s opioid response and treatment efforts is critical as we continue the fight to end this scourge.”


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