Arizona is getting some help from the federal government with the opioid crisis.
A $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be divvied up evenly between 20 health centers across the state.
The funding will help these providers expand substance abuse and mental health services.
Specifically, it will focus on preventing and treating opioid abuse in the primary care setting. Nationally, more than half of all care for mental health conditions takes place in that context, according to the department.
Federally qualified health centers typically service people who are low income and otherwise don’t have easy access to care.
Two people die every day on average in Arizona from opioid related overdoses. The state hopes to reduce those deaths by 25 percent in the next five years.
