A $1.6 million federal grant coming to Plymouth County Outreach will give local police departments the funds they need to continue opioid abuse treatment and outreach programs through September 2026, announced the organization in a press release.

Plymouth County Outreach was awarded a “Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program” grant from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance that will allow Plymouth County Outreach to continue its current operations and implement multiple new initiatives.

Plymouth County Outreach is a collaborative effort between the 27 municipal police departments in Plymouth County and the Bridgewater State University Police Department.

The Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester Police Departments are members of this organization.

"We are grateful to the Bureau of Justice Assistance for this grant that will continue to fund our program and these new initiatives,” said Plymouth County Outreach Executive Director Vicky Butler. “[The initiatives] will support our work to reduce overdose fatalities and help us continue to make resources more accessible to individuals who use substances in Plymouth County.”

Using these funds, Plymouth County Outreach will start a “Plymouth County Overdose Fatality Review,” which will help to “effectively identify trends, system gaps, and innovative community-specific overdose prevention and intervention strategies,” according to a press release.

Additionally, the group will hire two new full time staff members; a recovery coach and a program coordinator.

The recovery coach will interact with members of the community to break down barriers to services and make resources more accessible to people who use drugs and their families.

The program coordinator will be responsible for implementing the organization’s multi-disciplinary “Overdose Fatality Review” meetings.