In a move addressing the opioid crisis, Fort Wayne’s Mayor Sharon Tucker has unveiled the first batch of grantees benefitting from the city’s share of a national opioid settlement, as reported on Thursday by the City of Fort Wayne’s official website. A total of $1.002 million is being doled out to various organizations aimed at supporting those battling addiction, with a focus on prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction services.
Payments from the opioid settlement are expected to run through 2038, and this inaugural disbursement of funds is the result of a carefully considered process by the National Opioid Settlement Committee, created by Mayor Tucker earlier this year. Announced just before the year, the committee’s goal is to recommend the best uses for the funds, bring together community members to tackle opioid-related issues, and drive educational efforts within the community. The application window for this round opened in September and wrapped up in early October, during when the committee reviewed the proposals and chose the recipients.
Among those awarded funds is the YWCA Northeast Indiana, which received $90,000 to expand its residential and outpatient treatment programs for women, particularly those uninsured and postpartum, coupled with the provision of childcare. BHG Fort Wayne Treatment Center got $99,400 to bolster the EmpowerHer Recovery program, ensuring medication-assisted treatment is available to 50 uninsured pregnant and postpartum women…