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NMSU gets grant to tackle opioid epidemic

opioids
CNN
A pharmacist handles opioid pills.

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico — New Mexico State University has received a $200,000 federal grant to grow the number of nurse practitioners who will fight the opioid epidemic in the state.

The university said its School of Nursing will use the money to fund a project aimed at expanding the number of family nurse practitioners in New Mexico.

The grant will provide funding for the NMSU School of Nursing faculty members in the Family Nurse Practitioner program to develop a curriculum that emphasizes integrated mental health and primary care.

The program is delivered in a distance-education format, allowing nurses throughout New Mexico and the adjacent border region to earn degrees without relocating.

In 2018, the latest year for which data is available, New Mexico reported a rate of 26.6 deaths per 100,000 people due to drug overdose. That's higher than the overall U.S. rate of 20.7, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.

Article Topic Follows: Health

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Associated Press

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