Baldwin Announces Over $17.7 Million to Tackle Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis in Wisconsin
Wisconsin receives increased funding following the passage of Baldwin-led legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS), announced over $17.7 million in State Opioid Response grants are now being made available to the State of Wisconsin to combat the fentanyl and opioid epidemic. As LHHS Chair, Senator Baldwin wrote the government funding bill that funds the opioid response program and successfully fought to get it signed into law. Senator Baldwin also led the charge to improve the reach of the funding through her State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act, giving Wisconsin increased funding and more flexibility in administering the federal investments.
The State Opioid Response program provides communities and states with resources to increase access to prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services for substance use disorders. In 2022, Senators Baldwin and Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act to give local and Tribal communities resources to better combat the opioid and substance use disorder epidemic. The legislation, signed into law in 2022, improved opioid response grants by providing additional investments in and flexibility for states and Tribal communities.
Since 2019, fentanyl overdoses have been the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, and in 2022, Wisconsin experienced over 1,400 opioid-related deaths. From 2018 to 2023, State Opioid Response grant recipients have reported over 550,000 overdose reversals, approximately 9.8 million naloxone kits and 7 million fentanyl test strips distributed, and 78% of people who received treatment through the opioid response grant reported they did not use illicit drugs at their six-month follow-up.
An online version of this release is available here.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Opioid Crisis
- Attorney General Kaul Announces Consent Judgment with Kroger Over Opioid Crisis - Wisconsin Department of Justice - Mar 21st, 2025
- Baldwin Votes to Strengthen Penalties, Step Up Enforcement Around Deadly Fentanyl - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Mar 17th, 2025
- Wisconsin Communities Get Millions From Opioid Settlement as Deaths Decline - Evan Casey - Mar 1st, 2025
- MKE County: County Creates Easy Public Access To Overdose Data - Graham Kilmer - Feb 18th, 2025
- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and the Office of Emergency Management Launch New Overdose Dashboard - County Executive David Crowley - Feb 18th, 2025
- Fitzgerald Advances Legislation to Fight Opioid Epidemic - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Feb 6th, 2025
- Milwaukee Is Losing a Generation of Black Men To Drug Crisis - Edgar Mendez and Devin Blake - Jan 31st, 2025
- Milwaukee County’s Overdose Deaths Declined For Second Straight Year - Evan Casey - Jan 27th, 2025
- MKE County: United Community Center Awarded Drug Company Money For Addiction Treatment - Graham Kilmer - Jan 12th, 2025
- DHS Provides Update on Distribution of Latest Opioid Settlement Funds - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Jan 9th, 2025
Read more about Opioid Crisis here
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