Gallagher Secures Nearly $2 Million to Fight Opioid Epidemic

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) a $1,945,652 grant to improve the Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (ePDMP). The grant will be used to improve the program by increasing its security, user-satisfaction, and adoption.

The announcement comes after Rep. Gallagher wrote to the Department of Justice and called on them to fulfill this grant application.

“For far too many Wisconsinites, the opioid epidemic hits close to home,” said Rep. Gallagher. “Our state relies on the Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program to combat prescription drug abuse, and this announcement will help ensure that DSPS has the resources it needs to improve this tool. I’m proud to have advocated on the program’s behalf and am confident that these funds will help make the system more effective, user-friendly, and sustainable.”

After receiving the grant, Dawn Crim, Secretary-designee of DSPS, said, "Your letter of support for our application and your support of our work with the ePDMP has been instrumental to our success. Our award-winning program is an invaluable tool that has transformed prescribing culture and curbed prescription opioid use in Wisconsin. Your ongoing support ensures that we, together, will continue to make a difference." 

The Wisconsin ePDMP is a highly successful tool that more than 55,000 licensed healthcare professionals use more than 650,000 times each month to help combat drug abuse in Wisconsin. The grant funding opportunity will enhance the program to help users make more informed prescribing, dispensing, and treatment decisions regarding their patients’ controlled substance prescriptions.

Specifically, DSPS will use the grant to make the system a more effective clinical decision support tool. The project is expected to result in improved patient matching accuracy, an upgraded user experience for those accessing the system via their electronic health record system, and more customizable analytics for healthcare professionals.