TOPEKA – (October 26, 2023) - Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today announced the award of more than $10 million in grants through the Kansas Fights Addiction grant program. The 59 grants will be used to assist approximately 37,100 Kansans in support of substance abuse and addiction services in Kansas.

“This is unprecedented,” Chris Teters, Assistant Attorney General, said. “This is $10 million that didn’t exist in the opioid abatement space that is going to target emergency needs in areas that either really need additional assistance or may not have had access to resources previously.

“These awards will expand access to naloxone. We will be using this opportunity to make naloxone available to communities and organizations across the state at the lowest cost possible.”

Naloxone is a fast-acting medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

The Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board awarded grants to rehabilitation facilities, treatment centers, local law enforcement agencies, health providers and first responders to be used for treatment, recovery, and opioid prevention efforts.

Some of the grant recipients include:

• University of Kansas Health System in northeast Kansas

KU Health will use its $200,000 grant to provide comprehensive psychosocial and medication-assisted treatments to underinsured and uninsured Kansans. The system also intends to bolster case management and counseling services for substance abuse and mental health diagnoses.

• High Point Advocacy and Resource Center in Colby

The organization will use its $200,000 grant to provide essential treatment services to the uninsured and to initiate adolescent screening, treatment, and recovery services.

• Crawford County Mental Health Center in Pittsburg

In Crawford County, the $200,000 grant will extend its medication-assisted treatment program to provide services to those experiencing addiction in southeast Kansas.

• Hunter Health Clinic in Wichita

With the grant, the clinic will be able to re-launch and expand the number of prescribers able to implement medication-assisted treatments, as well as expand services for the underserved population of Sedgwick County. The clinic also plans to increase treatment and testing and assist in expanding and retaining its behavioral health workforce.

The grants are funded through multiple legal settlements with major pharmaceutical companies and related firms as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to bring accountability to those that fueled the opioid-addiction crisis. Kansas will receive more than $340 million over the next 16 years to fight and treat opioid addiction.

To view the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board Impact Report, go here.

To view a complete list of the 2023 Kansas Fights Addiction Treatment and Prevention Grant Awards, go here.

The Kansas Fights Addiction Act was enacted in 2021 by the Kansas Legislature and authorized the creation of the KFA board. The Sunflower Foundation, a statewide health philanthropy based in Topeka, serves as the administrator for the KFA grant program.