Kansas AG announces $2 million to support substance abuse services

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The Kansas Fights Addiction (KFA) Grant Review Board has agreed to an additional $2 million available to support substance abuse and addiction services in Kansas through a second round of funding under the KFA grant program.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced the funding, which comes from money recovered by the state through opioid legal settlements, will be availalbe for eligible agencies, entities and nonprofit organizations through a Request for Proposal (RFP) grant application process. The RFP, scheduled to open May 8, will prioritize prevention, providers and health systems, and public safety and first responders. Priorities are based on the Kansas Prescription Drug and Opioid Advisory Committeee’s 2023-2027 state strategic plan.

Attorney General Kobach said the Request for Proposal for the KFA grant program’s initial round of funding, which is prioritizing startegies related to treatment, recovery, reducing harm associated substance use, and linking people to support services and care, closed on April 28.

Attorney General Kobach shared the following statistics related to opioid addiction.

It is estimated that in 2021, more than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose in the U.S., with opioids involved in 75% of those deaths. In Kansas, the number of overdose deaths has risen steadily. In 2019, the state reported 393 deaths; that number rose to 477 in 2020 and 678 in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Over 1 million people in the U.S. have died from drug overdoses since 1999.

Attorney General Kobach noted Kansas has reached multiple settlements with major pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and related firms as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to bring accountability to those that fueled the opioid-addiction crisis and to provide funds to support addiction services. Kansas has secured more than $340 million in settlements to be paid to the state over the next 18 years.

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

Attorney General Kobach said eligibility is limited to state agencies, local and county governments, and nonprofit organizations that provide services in Kansas for the purpose of preventing, reducing, treating, or otherwise abating or remediating substance abuse or addiction. To be eligible, applicants also must release all legal claims arising from covered conduct against each defendant named in the opioid settlement agreements.

The KFA board will conduct a comprehensive substance use disorder needs assessment that will be used to guide long-term funding strategies. To expedite the distribution of funds to communities, entities and organizations providing substance use support and addiction services, the KFA board approved these initial rounds of funding prior to completion of the needs assessment, which could take up to a year.

Additional information on the grant application and review process will be announced May 8. Learn more about the KFA board and the opioid settlements HERE.