LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Kentucky is joining the fight against the opioid epidemic, thanks to an $87 million federal grant.
The grant is the largest in the university’s history.
UK says they’ll use the money for the large-scale community intervention project, Kentucky Can Heal. It’s part of the National Institute of Health’s Healing Communities Initiative.
The university has an ambitious goal, reducing opioid deaths by 40 percent in 16 Kentucky counties.
Majority Leader and Senator Mitch McConnell helped secure the federal funding.
“We’ve all worked on this together. One of the advantages I have being majority leader is to help not only set the agenda, but to be in the final meetings when you put the various pieces of the puzzle together. This funding came out of one of those negotiations,” he said.
Kentucky is one of four states taking part in the Healing Communities Initiative.
The others are Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts.
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