Healthy Minds partners with Oklahoma Attorney General’s office to guide opioid abatement strategy

In a new partnership with the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative will help guide the state Opioid Abatement Board and community leaders through the process of distributing grant funding to counties, municipalities, and school districts to address the consequences of the opioid crisis.

This is the first time the board has accepted grant applications to distribute the funds of settlements and judgments from Oklahoma’s lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Since 1999, more than 1 million people in the U.S. have died of drug overdoses, the majority of which involved an opioid.

As Oklahoma experiences the opioid epidemic’s “fourth wave” — characterized by co-use of opioids and stimulants like methamphetamine — communities across the state have a chance to apply for funding to counteract the harms of this public health crisis.  

As part of its partnership with the attorney general’s office, Healthy Minds’ experts are hosting regular office hours and educational webinars to address applicants’ questions as they craft their grant applications.

“We’re excited to work with leaders across the state to help them leverage this moment and find opportunities to overcome — and prevent — the damage opioids have done in so many communities,” said Jessica Hawkins, Healthy Minds’ director of community and systems initiatives.

Healthy Minds also published a guidance document to help communities select evidence-based opioid abatement strategies and adopt a framework to maximize the local impact of opioid settlement dollars.  

More resources and an FAQ for grant applicants is available at healthymindspolicy.org/overdose-prevention.