SPOKANE, Wash. — Mayor Lisa Brown announced Tuesday a proposed investment of over half-a-million dollars in the city’s battle against the opioid crisis.
The proposal would allocate $730,000 in opioid settlement funds into various opioid treatment efforts across Spokane.
Mayor Brown’s announcement was made during Tuesday night’s Gabriel’s Challenge meeting, a community gathering named in honor of Gabriel Fensler, who died of an overdose one day after his 24th birthday. The meeting is one of several aimed at organizing a community response to Spokane’s opioid crisis.
The proposal includes $300,000 for Maddie’s Place, a nonprofit nursery that helps babies born addicted to drugs and their mothers.
Over the last few months, Maddie’s Place faced possible closure when Washington lawmakers proposed significant funding cuts to the organization.
In mid-April the Washington legislature allocated $2 million, allowing the nonprofit to stay open.
CEO Shaun Cross said the additional funding from Mayor Brown’s proposal is crucial as the nursery is seeing high demand with a new baby every four days.
“This funding ensures our doors stay open, our staff remains strong and our advocacy for sustainable healthcare solutions continues,” Cross said.
Mayor Brown’s proposal also includes $30,000 toward mobile medication-assisted treatment and $400,000 to create an outreach program aimed at helping people living outdoors and at risk of opioid use disorder.
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