Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council (OAFC) voted to award Bexar County Hospital District dba University Health a grant of up to $25 million to distribute medication to reverse opioid overdoses throughout the state.
The grant agreement, once finalized by both parties, is for an initial two-year term with optional renewals and covers the purchase of opioid overdose reversal medication, including naloxone, and training on how to administer the medication and stabilize the breathing of an overdose patient.
The grant funding consists of regional funding allocations of $18.75 million, targeted allocations of $3.125 million to counties with a population of fewer than 100,000 residents and administrative funding of $3.125 million. The grant recipient will receive funds on a reimbursement basis.
“This funding marks a critical step toward stemming the rising rate of Texans dying from opioids, including fentanyl,” said Hegar, who chairs the OAFC. “As these dangerous drugs move across our southern border, Texas is one of the few states to see an overall increase in overdose deaths based on recent mortality data. And unfortunately, this trend has grown significantly among our school-aged youth. This grant will enable University Health to dispense naloxone to communities across Texas, including those who have been hardest hit by fentanyl. Every dollar of this grant can help save a Texan’s life.”
The grant follows up on the OAFC’s vote in November 2023 to award up to $75 million in three grant opportunities: up to $25 million to distribute medication to reverse opioid overdoses; up to $25 million to implement an opioid prevention education and awareness curriculum for students in grades kindergarten through 12 and their caregivers; and up to $25 million for enhancements to bolster the state’s peer-to-peer behavioral health workforce.
The Texas Legislature formed the OAFC in 2021 to ensure money recovered through the joint efforts of the state and its political subdivisions from statewide opioid settlement agreements is allocated fairly and spent to remediate the opioid crisis using efficient, cost-effective methods. The OAFC is made up of 13 appointed experts and Hegar as the non-voting presiding officer.
