HARRISBURG - A local college is getting state funding to target the opioid crisis among students, thanks to a federal grant.
Shippensburg University in Cumberland County will get up to $100,000 in grants from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. The department awarded nearly $1 million in federal grants to reduce and prevent the use of opioids by college students. The money will also help create naloxone training programs on those campuses.
Twelve other schools around the state are also receiving a portion of the grant, including Delaware County Community College, Duquesne University, Immaculata University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Research Institute, Lackawanna College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Montgomery County Community College, Muhlenberg College, Penn State Berks, Robert Morris University, Temple University, and West Chester University.
In his announcement, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf said, “We consistently attack the state’s opioid crisis from all angles, and this grant will enable additional focus on an integral part of our work – prevention. Educating college students on the risk of opioid use and training institutions of higher learning on how to administer naloxone are two ways we can save lives and lessen the impact of this crisis.”