Opioid Abatement Council awards Buena Vista, BGC grant

The club plans to construct a facility to support delivery of prevention-based programming to local youth. With a growing membership exceeding 320 kids per year and daily attendance regularly exceeding 100, the need for a new, permanent Buena Vista Boys & Girls Club facility is critical, the organization said.

Boys & Girls Club is dedicated to the prevention side of the opioid crisis. Beaulieu said he thinks the award wouldn’t have happened without the partnership and support of the town, county and Chaffee County Public Health. 

“As the largest prevention-based youth organization, we are honored that the review committees saw the merit and worth of Boys & Girls Clubs, and specifically our prevention-based programming,” he said. “We’re proud to partner with public health on the front end because they do so much heavy lifting and difficult work on the back end and in terms of the response to the opioid crisis.”

The Colorado Opioid Abatement Council approved more than $1.9 million in infrastructure grants to six Colorado organizations working to combat the opioid crisis. The funding, allocated through the council’s infrastructure grant opportunities, is intended to promote capital improvements and provide operational assistance for developing or improving the infrastructure necessary to combat the state’s opioid crisis, particularly in underserved areas. 

“These grant awards will help our state address the opioid crisis by providing services in prevention, harm reduction, criminal justice and treatment. In particular, these grants will provide much-needed support to those affected by the opioid crisis in our rural and underserved communities as well as spur innovative strategies for addressing this crisis,” said Attorney General Phil Weiser, chair of the council, in the Monday release. “I was pleased to see such excellent applicants from across Colorado designed to meet the challenge presented by the opioid crisis.”

In addition, these funds are intended to encourage cross-regional collaboration among the 19 opioid regional councils. The council accepted applications from state agencies, local governments, regional opioid abatement councils or a combination thereof. Grant criteria were established in requirements outlined in a statewide agreement. 

“It’s my sincere hope that these infrastructure grant awards will help local communities by increasing access to crucial prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services,” said Dr. Josh Blum, member of the council and director of outpatient substance use disorder treatment at Denver Health. 

“I’m especially gratified that we are awarding these funds across geographically diverse communities, serving urban, suburban and rural populations hard hit by the opioid crisis and that these funds will fill in gaps for capital improvements not often covered by other grant opportunities.”