Rep. Brian S. Dempsey, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has awarded the City of Haverhill $20,125 in order to facilitate the purchasing, carrying and administering of the opioid overdose reversal drug, Naloxone, also known as Narcan.
Haverhill Rep. Brian S. Dempsey, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, along with Sen. Kathleen O’Connor Ives (D-Newburyport), Rep. Linda Dean Campbell (D-Methuen) and Rep. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), announced today.
The Naloxone grant is part of $700,000 that will be awarded to police and fire departments in 31 communities heavily impacted by the Commonwealth’s opioid epidemic. The grant is a continuation of an expanded pilot program created by Dempsey in last year’s House of Representative budget, which he authored.
“This grant is part of a comprehensive state response to the opioid crisis affecting our cities and towns,” said Dempsey. “These funds will provide first responders with critical tools that will save lives and help avoid tragedies in our city.”
The current budget includes $16.1 million in new investments for various programs for combatting substance abuse with an additional $90 million in funding for the state Bureau of Substance Abuse Services. The supplemental budget, passed last October, also included $27.8 million in new funding beyond the $16.1 million.