INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A federal agency has awarded Indiana $8.4 million to help fight the opioid epidemic by boosting access to substance abuse treatment and mental health services.

The funding was announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The agency says the funding will enable academic institutions and community health centers funded by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration to expand access to both treatment and mental health services.

The funding will also help organizations fight the opioid crisis in Indiana’s rural areas.

The new funding supports the Health and Human Services’ Five-Point Opioid Strategy drafted in 2017.

The agency said that between 2016 and 2018 the number of patients receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction rose 142 percent nationwide at community health centers funded by the HRSA.

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