Drug Free Noble County Awarded Grant

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For Immediate Release

In 2016, former Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller seeded the creation of a statewide network of Indiana foundations with a $500,000 matching grant from Indiana’s Consumer Protection Education Fund. These foundations collectively matched $500,000 by December 31, 2016. This network was named the Indiana Network for the Prevention and Treatment of Opioid Addiction (INPTOA). The INPTOA’s purpose is to provide single county and multi-county collaborative grants to assess, prevent, and treat opioid addiction, and provide community financial support for housing, employment, monitoring, and counseling. Their priority is placed on awarding grants to underserved areas of Indiana and for innovative approaches to addiction. This network was found necessary because opioid abuse and addiction is a nationwide epidemic and Indiana is one of the most affected states.

On July 28, 2017, the INPTOA awarded sub-grants to the following foundations:

  • Community Foundation of Elkhart County
  • Community Foundation of Noble County
  • Community Health Network Foundation
  • Healthcare Foundation of La Porte
  • K21 Health Foundation
  • The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne
  • The Lutheran Foundation

After the Lutheran Foundation secured funding for the region, the Community Foundation of Noble County made a proactive matching grant that will bring a $50,000 investment back to Drug Free Noble County.

Drug Free Noble County will use the funding to design and implement programming that will assess, prevent, and treat OPIOD addiction.  In addition, support for housing, employment, monitoring and counseling for those in recovery will be available.

According to the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, drug overdoses overtook the number of motor vehicle deaths in 2008.  In addition, opioid use disorder resulted in $31.9 million for nonfatal ER visits, and drug overdose fatalities cost $1.4 billion (including medical costs and lost lifetime earnings for victims).  The Community Foundation of Noble County is pleased to support this important work in our community.