
FILE - This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah and introduced as evidence at a trial shows fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills collected during an investigation. Congress has voted to temporarily extend a sweeping tool that has helped federal agents crack down on drugs chemically similar to fentanyl. The Senate on Thursday, April 29, 2021, approved legislation extending until October an order that allows the federal government to classify so-called fentanyl analogues as Schedule I controlled substances. The drugs are generally foreign-made with a very close chemical makeup to the dangerous opioid. (U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah via AP, File)
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded Wisconsin millions in funding to help those affected by the opioid crisis.
Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has received $4.3 million to assist people affected by the health and economic effects of opioid use, addiction, and overdose.
The National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grant will help create disaster relief positions addressing humanitarian needs as a result of opioid use.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, opioid-related deaths and hospitalizations rose by 18 percent from 2020 to 2022.
Additionally, they also said that in Wisconsin, more people died from opioid overdoses than car crashes each of those years.
The state of Wisconsin was able to request this funding after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency in 2017.