The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will use money from a $5 million congressional earmark to conduct a youth education campaign aimed at preventing opioid abuse, university officials announced Wednesday.

As part of the Arkansas Youth Drug-Use Reduction Program, MidSOUTH, a community service unit of the university's College of Business, Health and Human Services, will collaborate with state agencies and other entities to conduct a statewide assessment and develop a curriculum and campaign aimed at preventing drug abuse among youths age 9-20, according to UALR news release.

The funding will also be used to provide households with "drug neutralizing agents," which are receptacles that contain chemicals that destroy household medications, the release says.

"The opioid epidemic continues to be a pressing public health crisis in Arkansas, affecting countless families and communities across our state," Greg Smith, co-director of MidSOUTH, said at an event Wednesday on the university's campus announcing the funding. "As we confront this challenge, we recognize the urgent need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach, a response that involves law enforcement, state and local agencies, educational institutions and the private sector."

The program hopes to reach 100,000 youths within its first year, with plans to expand as the curriculum is implemented. The materials will be provided at no cost to school districts, law enforcement agencies, nonprofits and other groups, according to the release.

As part of the educational campaign, television and social media advertisements "will raise awareness among young people about the dangers of drug use, while also providing parents with guidance on how to discuss drug prevention with their children," the release says.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., secured the funding for the program in March to address the opioid epidemic that has "taken a tragic toll on too many communities and people from all walks of life," he said on Wednesday.

"Problems like this are big, but we know that they are best solved by folks on the ground with deep ties to their communities who demonstrate a willingness to do the hard work necessary to turn the tide," Boozman said.

According to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arkansas' reported fatal overdoses last year fell 13.7%, from 591 in 2022 to 510 in 2023, although the number remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Opioids were responsible for 308 of last year's reported deaths, down from 359 a year earlier.

"There's been a year-long concerted effort to fight back against the opioid crisis from all levels of government, and especially from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership as well as the state drug director's office," Boozman said.

"Congress has also passed sweeping legislation to improve the tools and resources available to fight opioid abuse and addiction, including the Opioid Crisis Response Act, a comprehensive approach to encompassing prevention, treatment and recovery to respond to this deadly epidemic. We're seeing encouraging signs that this work is helping save lives."

The program will work with the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership, established by the Arkansas Municipal League and Arkansas Association of Counties to distribute money from opioid litigation, to collect data and implement educational programs.

The UALR news release noted that, of the 47,695 Arkansas students in grades six, eight, 10, and 12 who participated in the 2023 Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment Student Survey, 21.2% had used alcohol, 16.5% had tried drugs, 15.3% had vaped, 9.2% had used marijuana and 4.2% had used prescription drugs.

At the announcement on Wednesday, Kari Clay of Little Rock shared her story of the death of her daughter, Ellison Bryde, who died in 2021 after unknowingly ingesting fentanyl when she was 17.

"She trusted someone she thought was a friend, and she thought had given her a Percocet, but it was fentanyl -- pressed, stamped counterfeit pills," Clay said. "The minute she swallowed that pill in the early morning hours at her friend's house, she was going to die."

For young kids today, "experimenting is deadly," Clay said.

"Most street drugs seized are full of these opioids, and people are dying at an alarming rate," Clay said. "Ellison was a bright young girl just entering her senior year of high school, she should not be just a memory ... The dealers know what they are selling; we have to make sure our kids know."

My Ly is a Report for America Corps member.