Wisconsin awarded $10.5M to fight opioid epidemic

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The U.S. Justice Department awarded Wisconsin about $10.5 million to combat the ongoing national opioid epidemic. The grants will help law-enforcement and public-health officials combat substance abuse and respond to overdoses.

In press releases sent Tuesday, the DOJ said the Western District of Wisconsin received about $8.5 million, and the Eastern District received more than $2 million. The money is being distributed to these agencies and in these amounts:

• Wisconsin Department of Justice, $5 million
• Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division, $1.2 million
• City of Madison, $1.2 million
• Juneau County, $1.1 million
• Barron County, $646,951
• Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, $551,170
• Washington County $500,000
• Waukesha County, $376,811

The grants will help law enforcement officers, emergency responders and treatment professionals coordinate their response to overdoses; provide services to children and youth; support drug and treatment courts; combat prescription-drug abuse; provide assistance to forensic labs; and support opioid-related research.