OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The federal government has allocated almost $12 million to two agencies in Oklahoma to help treat opioid addiction.
The funds are part of $1.8 billion in federal dollars that President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday to fight opioid addiction nationwide and is unrelated to settlements and civil judgments won by the state in a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.
The Oklahoma Department of Health will receive almost $4.2 million to better track opioid overdoses. More than $7.6 million is being awarded to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to continue funding prevention, treatment and recovery programs for opioid abuse.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office says that about 6,000 Oklahomans have died from opioid abuse since 2000 and that thousands more continue to struggle with addiction.