WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp announced four federal grants totaling over $1.2 million to help fight drug addiction such as the ongoing opioid and meth epidemics.

“We have to take every action possible to fight drug abuse across Indian Country and across North Dakota,” said Heitkamp. “Almost every family and community in North Dakota has been impacted by drug and substance abuse, and we need to change that trajectory. This federal funding will help support efforts to fight drug addiction on reservations in North Dakota and I’ll continue to fight to make sure the federal government is doing its part in stopping the opioid, meth, and addiction epidemics.”

These federal grants are distributed as follows:

• Standing Rock Sioux Tribe: $510,756

• Turtle Mountain Tribe: $368,266

• Spirit Lake Tribe: $182,438

• Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation: $179,233

These federal funds are administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Mental Health & Substance Abuse Service Grants.

Recently, Heitkamp voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate to pass the comprehensive, bipartisan Opioid Crisis Response Act to combat the ongoing, national substance abuse crisis. This legislation also included several key provisions that Heitkamp fought to include that address the ripple effects that drug abuse has on children, families, and rural communities. As part of her efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, Heitkamp has hosted seven meetings including in Bismarck, Grand Forks, Fargo, Jamestown, Minot, Dickinson, and Hazen. Heitkamp also helped pass a bipartisan funding bill that would help to make sure rural communities have the tools they need to combat the opioid and meth epidemic.