Pubdate: Fri, 20 Jan 2017
Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
Copyright: 2017 Lexington Herald-Leader
Contact: http://www.kentucky.com/369/
Website: http://www.kentucky.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/240
Author: Curtis Tate

EASTERN KENTUCKY GETS FEDERAL GRANT FOR HAL ROGERS PROGRAM TO FIGHT
OPIOID, HEROIN ADDICTION

A partnership that's working to fight drug addiction in eastern Kentucky
has received a $100,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission,
Republican Rep. Hal Rogers announced Thursday.

Operation UNITE, which operates in 32 counties in southern and eastern
Kentucky, was founded in 2003 by Rogers to deal with what was at the time
primarily an epidemic of addiction to prescription painkillers.

Kentucky's Appalachian counties have since seen a surge in overdoses from
heroin, as well as opioid painkillers. The competitive grant includes
$50,000 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kentucky recorded 1,248 overdose deaths in 2015, an increase over 2014's
1,071 deaths. Heroin accounted for 28 percent of the 2015 fatalities,
according to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy.

The funding will support the organization's education, law enforcement,
prevention and treatment efforts.

Since 2012, the group has hosted an annual National Prescription Drug
Abuse & Heroin Summit, drawing law enforcement, medical, academic, public
health, industry and elected officials from across the country. The next
summit will be held in April in Atlanta.

"Operation UNITE's holistic approach to curb addiction and save lives is
now a national model of success, and this funding will help expand the
organization's impact," Rogers said in a statement.
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