The opioid epidemic is so bad that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stepping in.

The CDC will be awarding more than $12 million dollars to twenty-three states, including Georgia, to help respond to opioid related overdoses. The money will be used to strengthen prevention efforts and better track opioid related overdoses.

Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Price, says "President Trump and we here at HHS are working to support states on the front lines of this national crisis." He says the money will be used to help states and local authorities track this epidemic and respond in real time.

The states that are getting money are : Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

"More than 90 Americans lose their lives to the opioid overdose epidemic every day, which is devastating to their communities and families," says the CDC director, Brenda Fitzgerald,M.D.

The expanded funding is part of the Department of Health and Human Services' five point strategy to the epidemic by:

• Improving access to prevention, treatment and recovery services, including the full range of medication-assisted treatment;
• Targeting availability and distribution of overdose-reversing drugs;
• Strengthening timely public health data and reporting;
• Supporting cutting-edge research on pain and addiction; and
• Advancing better practices for pain management.