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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) — The Santa Barbara County Health Department (SBCHD) is pleased to announce the launch of the Opioid Unified Response in Santa Barbara County (OUR SBC), a grant program for community-based organizations providing services to address the impacts of opioids in the county. OUR SBC will provide $500,000 in total grant awards to local organizations, with individual funding awards of between $50,000 and $100,000 granted through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
“Opioid marketing and prescribing practices that began in the 1990s led directly to the increased use of fentanyl and other opioids that has dramatically impacted the health of communities across the country, and Santa Barbara County is no exception,” said Jack Mohr, SBCHD Program Manager who will be coordinating the community RFP process. “OUR SBC focuses on increasing access to proven tools like Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT), harm reduction interventions, and other related services to reduce the worst harms associated with opioid misuse and improve the lives of those most impacted by this health crisis.”