Kentucky cities can now apply for a portion of the $478 million the commonwealth received from national opioid settlements with drug manufacturers and distributors. Legislators passed KLC initiatives in the 2021 and 2022 sessions to address how Kentucky distributes the money. House Bill 427 (2021) established the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (OAAC) and required half of all money Kentucky receives to go to city and county governments to fund opioid abatement programs.

The OAAC is handling the state’s portion of the fund. While the application process is ongoing, the OAAC recommends completing submissions within 30 days of starting the process. Cities and other entities can apply for funding here. Questions regarding the funding process can be directed to Alison Chavies at 502.696.5638 or Scott Hornbuckle at 502.234.4194, or you can email questions here.

The OAAC is hosting town halls across Kentucky to hear directly from people affected by the opioid epidemic. OAAC held three town halls and scheduled five more ‒ one in Bowling Green, Covington, Lexington, Louisville, and Paducah.

The Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy (KODCP) reported that 2,250 Kentuckians died from drug overdoses in 2021, which was a 14.5% increase from the previous year. Reports from Kentucky’s Office of the State Medical Examiner and Kentucky coroners link the increase mainly to fentanyl use, which accounted for approximately 70% of all overdose deaths in 2021. More information is available in the KODCP’s 2021 Overdose Fatality Report.