Sen. Brown details federal funding to combat opioid epidemic today in Y'town

YOUNGSTOWN

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat of Cleveland, visited the Mahoning Valley to discuss funding to combat the opioid epidemic that is included in a new federal spending bill.

Brown spoke from the city police department, where he was joined Tuesday by police Chief Robin Lees and Ruth Bowdish, a chemical dependency counselor at On Demand, an Austintown treatment provider.

Brown highlighted a component of the bill that prioritizes funding for states that are hardest-hit by the opioid crisis, such as Ohio.

Of $3 billion outlined in the spending package,

$1 billion will go to State Targeted Response Grants, according to Brown’s office. Fifteen percent of that grant funding will be reserved for states such as Ohio, which has one of the highest overdose rates in the country. Ohio can also qualify for funding from the other 85 percent of that $1 billion, according to Brown’s office.

The spending package also includes $65 million for the INTERDICT Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law earlier this year. That money will fund opioid detection devices and screening equipment to help stop the flow of drugs across the U.S. border.

Read more about the matter in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.