McConnell and Rogers contacted the Trump Administration in support of their competitive federal grant application
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell & U.S. Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) announced today Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA) was awarded a $700,000 competitive federal grant from a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime's (OVC) grant program. Senator McConnell and Congressman Rogers contacted DOJ on behalf of their constituents' grant application and their mission to help save lives from addiction.
According to VOA, they plan to use the federal funding to establish a Family Recovery Court in Clay County, Kentucky, which would help reunite families involved with child protective services all while keeping children safe.
"The federal funding will enable VOA to deliver comprehensive trauma treatment and family-focused services to children impacted by substance abuse within their family. It can improve the stability, health, and well-being of the community," said Senator McConnell. "VOA is doing impressive work in Eastern Kentucky to help families and children impacted by the substance abuse epidemic. I was proud to work with Jennifer Hancock and my good friends Congressman Hal Rogers and Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers to help VOA secure these resources for their life-saving work. As Senate Majority Leader, I'll continue mobilizing the federal government to deliver for Kentucky's fight against the addiction crisis."
"We learned early in our life-saving efforts to combat drug abuse, that this epidemic requires a multi-faceted, holistic approach with a multitude of leaders at the table. This important grant focuses on providing a compassionate road to recovery in partnership with our justice system, which is a vital part of advancing accountability and a family support system when individuals need it the most," said Congressman Rogers, co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse. "I consider my friends, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, long-time teammates in this journey to curb the tide of opioid abuse in Kentucky, and it was an honor to work with them again to help folks in Clay County who continue to be leaders in this fight."
"This is another wonderful example of the partnership that has been created between Volunteers of America and Southeast Kentucky and moved forward with the assistance of Senator McConnell and Congressman Rogers," said Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, who represents Clay County.
"Volunteers of America is thrilled to receive essential federal support to do life-changing work in Clay County and Southeastern Kentucky. We are very grateful that VOA's proposal to establish a Family Recovery Court in Clay County was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and are so appreciative of all of the community partners and leaders who have made this grant possible," said Jennifer Hancock, President and CEO, Volunteers of America Mid-States. "As always, I cannot say enough about Leader McConnell and Congressman Rogers and their drive to assure that we can assist more families in this wonderful part of our Commonwealth. Working together, we will keep more families together and make sure they are safe and healthy."
In July, Senator McConnell and Congressman Rogers announced VOA received a $2.6 million grant to help mothers and families maintain long-term recovery.
Since becoming Majority Leader in 2015, Senator McConnell has prioritized the fight against the opioid and substance abuse epidemic by increasing federal funding for the response. Under McConnell's leadership, Kentucky has received more than $275 million. Senator McConnell worked with the University of Kentucky to help secure an $87 million competitive federal grant—the largest in school history—to address the opioid crisis in high-risk communities. He has also helped secure the inclusion of some of Kentucky's hardest-hit counties in the Office of National Drug Control Policy's High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program to promote coordination and support for law enforcement in Kentucky.
Senator McConnell consistently draws attention to Kentucky's prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts with the President's Cabinet and federal agencies. Multiple Drug Czars, the federal official responsible for coordinating the national response, have visited Kentucky at his request to see the innovative work being done in the Commonwealth. Last year, Senator McConnell attended the ribbon cutting of VOA's Recovery Community Center in Manchester. The Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, James Carroll, also attended at Senator McConnell's invitation.
In 2018, President Trump signed into law the landmark opioid and substance abuse bill Senator McConnell helped shepherd to enactment. In addition to the CAREER Act – which Congressmen Rogers and Andy Barr (KY-06) supported in the House -- the legislation contained the Senator's Protecting Moms and Infants Act, which authorized an increase in federal funding to help babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
Congressman Hal Rogers has been a champion in the fight against opioids and illegal drugs since day one. At the national level, he has fought for numerous initiatives, including Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, Drug Courts, expanded treatment opportunities, and founded the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse. At the local level, Congressman Rogers launched Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigation Treatment & Education) to bring together regional leaders, law enforcement officials, health care professionals and concerned citizens to fight the drug epidemic in the region with a holistic approach. He has secured billions to combat drug trafficking nationally and to take back our Kentucky communities. Congressman Rogers also worked with Operation UNITE to found the annual National Rx Abuse and Heroin Summit, the largest gathering in the U.S. dedicated to opioid abuse.
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