Governor Wolf, Department of Health Welcome $900,000 CDC Grant

HARRISBURG, Pa. (EYT) – Governor Tom Wolf and Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy announced yesterday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has granted the Pennsylvania Department of Health $900,000 to prevent overdose deaths related to prescription opioids.

The grant is a part of the “Prescription Drug Overdose: Prevention for States” program.

“The CDC is a true partner in Pennsylvania’s ongoing efforts to advance substance abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment to curb the heroin and opioid prescription drug epidemic,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Too many citizens of our commonwealth are dying from drug overdose, and Pennsylvania families in hardworking communities are impacted by prescription drug addiction every day. We are honored to be awarded the resources to leverage our statewide efforts to combat this epidemic, especially combined with my proposed $7.5 million budget increase to address opioid addiction.”

The funding for this program, allocated through the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), will support 16 states in total with annual awards between $750,000 and $1 million over the next four years to implement prevention strategies to improve safe prescribing practices and turn the tide on the prescription drug overdose epidemic.

Heroin and opioid overdose are the leading cause of accidental death in Pennsylvania, killing more individuals than those involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents. In 2013, approximately 2,400 Pennsylvanians died from a drug overdose.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s efforts to combat prescription drug abuse and overdose, please visit www.health.pa.gov.


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