$1.6 million announced to fight opioid addiction in Iowa
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced Wednesday more than $1.6 million in grant funding will go to programs aimed at combating opioid addiction in the state. The funding comes from legislation passed last year, which allocates 25% of Iowa's opioid settlement money to programs, services, and initiatives tackling the opioid crisis.
Grants were awarded to St. Vincent de Paul in Des Moines, the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health, the Warming Shelter Inc. in Sioux City, the Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.
“These are organizations that are making a big difference, saving lives either through prevention or through treatment,” Bird said.
This is the first wave of funding grants for such programs in Iowa. Legislation passed in 2025 directed a quarter of the state’s opioid settlement money to the Iowa attorney general’s office. About $20 million is expected to be available for distribution by 2030 from the state attorney general's office's share of the settlement funds.