Two Eastern Kentucky health care providers have received $5.7 million from the Department of Health and Human Services to expand opioid treatment programs.?

Westcare Kentucky in Ashcamp and Baptist Healthcare System in Corbin received $3 million and $2.7 million, respectively. The grants will be spread over four years.?

They’ll use the funds to “create new or expand existing access points for treatment and recovery services, support the behavioral health workforce and collaborate with social services to ensure coordinated care and sustainable impact in rural communities,” according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).?

Westcare, part of a nonprofit network of behavioral health provicers, is located in Pike County, which was among the five Kentucky counties in 2023 with the most fentanyl and meth-related overdose deaths.?

In 2023, there were 1,984 fatal overdoses in Kentucky, down from 2,135 in 2022. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, accounted for 1,570 of those — about 79% of the 2023 deaths. The 35-44 age group was most at risk, the report shows. Methamphetamine accounted for 55% of 2023’s overdose deaths.?

Despite the overall decrease, the number of Black Kentuckians who died from a drug overdose increased from 259 in 2022 to 264 in 2023.?

“We know that where you live should not determine your access to or the quality of the care that you receive,” Carole Johnson, the administrator of HRSA, said in a statement. “And, we are taking action to deliver for rural families by supporting high-quality substance use disorder treatment and by helping rural hospitals continue to serve their communities.”