Following Blunt’s Advocacy, Missouri to Receive Up to $4 Million in Grant Funding for Workforce Training Focused on Addressing Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, March 7, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS), commended the U.S. Department of Labor for awarding the Missouri Division of Workforce Development up to $4 million in grant funding, with an initial investment of more than $1.3 million, to combat the opioid epidemic. The grant funding is being awarded through the National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant Program, which is funded in the Blunt-led Labor/HHS appropriations bill.
“Expanding access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services is a top priority in combatting the opioid epidemic,” said Blunt. “This grant funding will support training programs and offer employment services to health professionals in areas that have been hit hardest by this public health crisis. I’m proud to support this grant program, and I’ll continue working to ensure communities have the resources they need to save lives.”
The grant funding will provide resources to areas significantly impacted by the health and economic effects of the opioid epidemic. The grant will go toward training and hiring participants for temporary disaster-relief positions to address the local workforce impacts of the opioid crisis. It will also provide employment services to individuals seeking careers in healthcare professions related to addiction, treatment, prevention, and pain management.
The counties expected to benefit from the grant include Audrain, Bollinger, Boone, Butler, Callaway, Camden, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Christian, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dallas, Dent, Douglas, Dunklin, Gasconade, Greene, Howard, Howell, Iron, Laclede, Madison, Maries, Miller, Mississippi, Moniteau, Morgan, New Madrid, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Phelps, Polk, Pulaski, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, St. Francois, St. Genevieve, Stoddard, Stone, Taney, Texas, Washington, Wayne, Webster, and Wright.
