Cascade Community Health Care in Centralia was one of three rural organizations to receive federal funds as Washington continues to fight the continued rise in fentanyl use in the state.
In a Friday news release, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, announced Cascade received a $930,000 grant through the Department of Health and Human Services' Rural Communities Opioid Response program’s Medication Assisted Treatment.
The money will help fund additional hiring and facility improvements.
Cantwell announced that Grays Harbor County Public Hospital District 1 will get funding through the Overdose Response Program. The money will help fund access to prevention, treatment and recovery services for substance use disorder.
Whidbey Island Public Hospital District will receive $991,000.
This year, Cantwell has hosted nine roundtables around the state to discuss the rise in fentanyl usage.
“At every stop on my statewide fentanyl listening tour, I've heard that we must make it easier for people to find treatment if we're going to end this crisis,” said Sen. Cantwell. “That means giving rural hospitals the resources to offer the most effective substance use treatments. These grants will help people suffering from addiction in Grays Harbor County, Island County, and Lewis County get access to care.”
In July, the Senate passed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. Cosponsored by Sen. Cantwell, the bill allows agencies to more effectively disrupt opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl. The bill would also declare the trafficking of fentanyl a national emergency.
“A crisis of this magnitude demands a robust federal response,” Cantwell said after its passage. “And that's why this legislation provides the President with new tools to stop the illicit fentanyl flooding our borders and those that are trying to transport it into our country.”
Last Thursday marked National Overdose Awareness Day, which brought roughly 100 people to Centralia’s George Washington Park.
