Pennsylvania will receive at least $10 million from the charity of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fight its opioid epidemic, writes Dino Hazell for The Philadelphia Tribune.

The donation is part of the $50 million that will be distributed over the next three years to up to 10 states. It will help them address the causes of opioid addiction and strengthen their programs for prevention and treatment.

The initiative includes a partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Johns Hopkins University, and Vital Strategies.

Bloomberg said last week at The Bloomberg American Health Summit that he believes “we can turn the tide on this epidemic.”

Pennsylvania will be the first state to receive the funding. The state has the highest number of deaths related to drug overdoses last year, with nearly 5,400 Pennsylvanians being killed.

The partnership is a part of an initiative that focuses on new approaches to tackle the opioid crisis and ways to plug gaps in current programs. Successful initiatives will be replicated in other locations, with the goal of finding a working model for the entire nation.

Read more in The Philadelphia Tribune here.

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