A first-of-its-kind partnership between the Centers for Disease Control, Johns Hopkins University, several states, and other organizations is taking aim at a national crisis: the epidemic of opioid addiction.

The goal of this $50 million investment, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and announced in November 2018 at the Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s summit in Washington, D.C., is to reduce opioid deaths by improving treatment and prevention programs, developing novel interventions, and sharing effective solutions.

Bloomberg Philanthropies will select up to 10 states affected by high rates of opioid use to receive three years of funding and support. Pennsylvania—where the rate of 44.3 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people is more than double the national average—has been selected as the first state to participate in the initiative and will receive at least $10 million in funding to reduce opioid deaths.

“Communities across the country are taking innovative steps to address the opioid epidemic,” said Ellen MacKenzie, dean of the Bloomberg School. “Evaluating the efficacy of these approaches will help us determine which ones should be scaled up and implemented across the board. As the home of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, we are eager to do our part to help translate research into lifesaving action.”