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NH's Workforce Affected by Opioid Epidemic

Published Wednesday Jul 18, 2018

NH's Workforce Affected by Opioid Epidemic

The New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs will get $5 million from U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to help the Granite State workforce, which has been severely affected by the opioid epidemic, according to a statement from U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and Maggie Hassan D-NH, and Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter D-NH and Annie Kuster D-NH.                                                                                 

“The opioid epidemic is severely impacting both New Hampshire’s public health and economy,” says Shaheen. “I’m very pleased that this substantial federal grant has been awarded to help New Hampshire workers get their lives back on track through training and access to treatment. Our state desperately needs these investments to deliver help where it’s needed most.”  

“We need to ensure that people struggling with addiction have access to the full range of services they need to not only get treatment but also to get their lives back on track as productive members of society,” says Senator Hassan. “This significant federal funding is an important step forward that will help provide job training to hundreds of Granite Staters who have been impacted by the opioid crisis while working to ensure that communities across New Hampshire have the workers they need to support individuals impacted by substance misuse.”

“The opioid epidemic is not just a health crisis; it hurts people’s lives in so many ways, including through its impacts on employment,” says Shea-Porter. “I am pleased that this grant means more federal funding will be coming to New Hampshire, because our state needs to expand our treatment and recovery workforce and do more to help those impacted by the crisis find and keep good jobs.”

“This funding is a critical resource to help encourage training in the fields that will help us tackle the opioid epidemic and put individuals impacted by substance use disorder back to work,” says Kuster, the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force. “I’m encouraged that this grant will allow the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs to spearhead innovative and creative solutions that will have the greatest impact on communities here in the Granite State.”

The grant will be disbursed by the Employment and Training Administration, which is managed by the DOL. This federal initiative specifically helps communities and regions that have experienced workforce and economic effects due to the opioid crisis. Funding can be used by awardees in a number of ways, including career training services, workforce training or apprenticeship programs, mental and other health related services and additional tools to help populations impacted by the opioid epidemic.

 

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