DOL Grants Pennsylvania $2.9 Million to Combat Opioid Crisis
The latest National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant has an approved funding threshold of over $8.7 million.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Apr 15, 2024
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has allocated $2.9 million to Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry to tackle the widespread impact of opioid use, addiction, and overdose on employment and training services.
According to a recent release, the grant—administered by the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration—falls under the National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant program and carries an approved funding threshold of over $8.7 million.
Opioids were involved in 84.4 percent of Pennsylvania's 5,158 fatal overdoses in 2022, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention (ODSMP). This initiative aims to address the effects of the opioid crisis on the local workforce by establishing disaster-relief positions in communities state-wide.
In addition, the funds will bolster employment and training services for dislocated workers facing prolonged unemployment and other barriers stemming from opioid-related issues. This project will be executed by 11 workforce development boards and is supported by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in October 2017, paving the way for this funding.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.