$3 million in grants for DART and QRT teams awarded to address opioid epidemic

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced this morning 40 law enforcement departments and their partners will receive $3 million in grants that will be used to help replicate or expand Drug Abuse Response Teams (DARTs) and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) to address the opioid epidemic in Ohio.

“There is so much good work going on to fight this opioid epidemic and with this new grant money, we can make even more of a difference, as we all work together to save more Ohioans,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “This opioid fight is challenging, but we can continue to make progress.”

The $3 million in new grant funding from the state budget will be administered by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. At minimum, a local law enforcement agency partnered with a treatment provider. Many grant recipients included other partners, such as fire department personnel, emergency management employees, faith-based leaders, and children’s services organizations.

These DART and QRT teams generally are made up of law enforcement officers partnering with drug treatment providers and others who assist overdose survivors in the recovery process. Team members visit survivors after an overdose and offer counseling and referrals to drug rehabilitation facilities for assessment, detoxification, on-going drug treatment, and aftercare. These teams work to reduce overdose-related deaths, reduce repeated overdoses per victim, and increase the support network for survivors and their families.

Attorney General DeWine made the announcement at Strongsville Police Department, a grant recipient, along with other grant recipients.

“I am optimistic that the local initiative being launched by the Strongsville Police Department will make a difference in the opioid crises,” said Strongsville Mayor Thomas Perciak. “I am so proud that the faith community, business community and local government have partnered in this effort. And I appreciate the work being done by Attorney General Mike DeWine to make such local programs a reality.”

Grant recipients are expected to start using the grant money for law enforcement teams before the end of the year.