Operation UNITE, which serves 33 counties in eastern and southern Kentucky, is one of the recipients of $8 million in grants announced by the state Attorney General’s Office Thursday. Operation UNITE will receive one million of that and president and CEO Nancy Hale said the money will help the nonprofit fund a key program.
“This is Naloxone plus, that's the name of our program, because the added ingredient, the plus is prevention. And through that long term approach, we're going to help people start a whole new path.”
The funds come from Kentucky’s settlement with opioid manufacturers. 23 other opioid abatement programs received grants, which were announced in the capitol rotunda. Operation UNITE has been around for two decades, and Hale said new challenges keep arising.
“When we think we were getting a good grip on things, you know, another enemy comes up and this time, it's fentanyl. We know that xylazine, we're going to have to deal with that. And so that's what we're doing with this program.”
Hale said the million-dollar grant will save and change lives in the short- and long-term.
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