TOPEKA – (July 11, 2022) – The Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board will hold its initial organizational meeting on July 14 to begin discussion of the process for distributing funds to combat opioid and other addictions in Kansas, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.
Under the Kansas Fights Addiction Act, proposed by Schmidt and enacted last year by the Legislature, money recovered by the attorney general pursuant to opioid litigation will be used to address substance abuse and help ensure addiction services are provided throughout the state. Funding will be available through the grant review board created by the statute. State agencies, local governments and not-for-profit entities operating within the state may apply for funding for addiction treatment and abatement through the board.
Schmidt has appointed Pat George of Dodge City, a former state representative and commerce secretary, to chair the board. George also previously served as president and CEO of Valley Hope, an addiction treatment organization based in Norton. Additional members of the board have been appointed by other state leaders and organizations, in accordance with the Kansas Fights Addiction Act and are listed on the website linked below.
The board will meet on July 14, at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center, 2001 SW Washburn Avenue, Topeka. The organizational meeting will inform the board members of their statutory charge and begin discussion of the grant process. Additional information on the grant application and review process will be announced at a later date.
Schmidt’s office has negotiated settlements resulting in nearly $200 million related to unlawful opioid manufacturing, marketing and distribution, to be paid in installments over the next several years. Under the provisions of the Kansas Fights Addiction Act, a portion of the settlements will be distributed directly to local Kansas jurisdictions, with the remaining funds to be distributed by the grant review board.
More information about the Kansas Fights Addiction Act, the board and the opioid litigation is available at https://www.ag.ks.gov/opioids.