Dakota Times

SCOTT COUNTY, MN – U.S. Representative Angie Craig helped secure $125,000 in federal funding to support the Scott County Public Health Department's youth substance use prevention efforts.

The funding was awarded through the White House’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program, which provides funding to communities to ensure they can develop a comprehensive approach to reducing substance use in their neighborhoods.

Rep. Craig helped push for this funding as part of her continued efforts to provide Second District communities with the tools and education needed to effectively combat the opioid crisis.

“As a mother and grandmother, keeping our children safe is always at the top of my mind – and right now, that means protecting them from the dangers of the opioid and fentanyl poisoning crisis. With these federal funds, Scott County Public Health will be able to continue their efforts to combat youth substance use in our communities. I look forward to finding more ways to support their critical work,” said Rep. Craig.

Rep. Craig has been a leader in the fight to combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis, expand resources for law enforcement and improve addiction and recovery support services.

On Monday, Rep. Craig hosted a town hall with local leaders and community advocates to discuss the measures needed at the state and federal level to address the fentanyl crisis.

Earlier this month, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on her bipartisan bill to expand access to overdose prevention resources. Rep. Craig’s RECONNECTS Act would direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand their overdose prevention efforts and update the definition of “new and emerging public health crisis” to include the fentanyl crisis. 

Additionally, this March, she led a successful bipartisan push to secure the FDA over-the-counter approval of Narcan, a medicine used to reverse overdoses.

Original source can be found here.