Maine will receive $605,230 from the federal government to improve drug abuse prevention efforts and better track opioid overdoses, U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced.

The money is coming in the form of two grants. One is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the other is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Collins and King said the grants will help keep better track of fatal and nonfatal opioid-involved overdoses in the state and help health care workers in Maine better understand and fight against the drug epidemic.

“The heroin and opioid abuse crisis is devastating to individuals, families and communities across Maine and the country. This funding will help Mainers on the front lines to better understand and combat the drug epidemic,” the senators said in a joint statement.

The SAMHSA funding – $371,616 – is awarded through a program designed to raise awareness about the dangers of sharing medications and to work with the pharmaceutical and medical communities on the risks of overprescribing. The CDC funding – $233,614 – is made through a program aimed at improving multi-state surveillance of and response to opioid-involved overdoses.

There were 189 drug overdose deaths in Maine through June 30, a 50 percent increase over the same period in 2015, when there were 126 overdose deaths, according to the Maine Attorney General’s Office. If the pace continues, there would be 378 overdose deaths this year. In 2015, 272 people died from drug overdoses in Maine.