Minnesota Gets Grant To Help Recovering Opioid Addicts Return To The Workforce
The opioid crisis has been an absolute tragedy for so many individuals and families in the United States. I’ve spoken about the opioid crisis a few times here at GrantNews. It’s so important to discuss this epidemic that has caused such severe problems for individuals and families.
The Opioid Crisis Has Ramped Up This Year Because Of the Pandemic
In Minnesota, there has been an uptick around the opioid crisis in 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, drug overdose deaths increased by 31% in the first half of 2020, as opposed to the first half of 2019. Now, Minnesota has been awarded a grant to enable those who survived the opioid epidemic to return to the workforce. The United States Department of Labor has awarded this grant to help address the opioid crisis in the state. This 1.3 million grant will help those who have recovered from their addiction train for in-demand careers in areas like healthcare.
One of the reasons a program like this is so key is that employees can help with long term sobriety. According to the Center for Disease Control, those who are employed are significantly less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol. In addition to that, work provides structure and purpose, which are elements very much stressed in addiction recovery.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will be working with four local partners for workforce development in this initiative. These four partners include:
- Southeast Minnesota Workforce Development Board
- City of Duluth
- Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services
- Anoka County
Workforce development is incredibly important in creating increased opportunities for a growing labor market. At GrantWatch we are proud to list an entire category of Workforce Development grants, that can help train or retrain people in in-demand and competitive fields.