Senator Murray Announces $25 Million in Grants to Respond to Opioid Crisis in Washington State

Washington state to receive more than $25 million in latest round of grants from Health Department programs Senator Murray secured to respond to the opioid crisis

Washington state has used some of these grants to invest in telemedicine, recovery and prevention services, support for tribal communities, and more 

Senator Murray: “I’ve seen first-hand the devastation wrought by the opioid crisis across Washington state and I know continued investments to support communities on the frontlines of this fight are a critical part of the solution”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations committee and top Democrat on the Senate health committee, announced that Washington State would receive more than $25 million in federal grants from programs she secured to combat the opioid crisis.

“I’ve seen first-hand the devastation wrought by the opioid crisis across Washington state and I know continued investments to support communities on the frontlines of this fight are a critical part of the solution,” said Senator Murray. “That’s why I’m not going to stop fighting for additional resources to address the root causes and ripple effects of this crisis and help families impacted by the opioid epidemic.”

Washington state was awarded $21 million dollars from the Department of Health and Human Services’ latest round of State Opioid Response grants—a program the state has previously used to invest in telemedicine, recovery and prevention services, support for tribal communities hit especially hard by the opioid epidemic, and more. Washington was also awarded $4 million dollars from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Overdose Data To Action cooperative agreement—which will help the state improve its ability to use data to fight addiction.

Senator Murray has been instrumental in securing these funds, fighting to increase funding of the State Opioid Response program on the Appropriations committee and working in a bipartisan way to craft the SUPPORT Act, which authorized the funding from the CDC. Senator Murray has also traveled extensively throughout Washington state—from Everett to Seattle to Longview, and more—to meet with patients, families, health providers, medical professionals, law enforcement officials, community leaders, and others to better understand how federal dollars can best address the root causes and ripple effects of the crisis.