Federal Aid to Combat Opioid Crisis Coming to Florida

SARASOTA – Florida will receive $27 million in funding from The 21st Century Cures Act to help combat the ongoing opioid epidemic in the state. The news, which was announced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Longboat Key) on Friday, means that the amount of money to be allocated to the Sunshine State from the legislation is only behind California and Texas.

 

Through the 21st Century Cures Act, $485 million will be provided this year to states for addressing the crisis of opioid addiction. The act will give a total of $970 billion to states over the next two years to combat the crisis.

"The heroin epidemic is destroying families right here in Manatee and Sarasota counties as well as across the country. These critical federal resources will go a long way toward supporting community action against heroin, fentanyl and other killer drugs," said Buchanan in a statement.

Manatee County has been among the most ravaged areas in the state by the opioid crisis, with the county experiencing the most heroin and fentanyl deaths per capita out of any Florida county in 2014. In his announcement, Rep. Buchanan also said he would ask Gov. Rick Scott to allocate a significant amount of the funds Florida will receive from the 21st Century Cures Act.

 

The bill's largest allocation is for $4.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health for areas such as biomedical research. It also provides funding for mental health treatment, such as increasing and extending funding for outpatient grant programs for patients with mental illness by $15,000,000 for 2017, as well as $20,000,000 for 2018, $19,000,000 for 2019 and 2020, and $18,000,000 for 2021 and 2022.