Good afternoon,

This week, we begin with a correction and a reminder.

In our last newsletter, we inaccurately stated that “only 12 of 100 counties [in North Carolina] have completed strategic spending plans required by the state.” In fact, more than 90 local governments in North Carolina have submitted opioid settlement spending plans, and at least 88 are funding high-impact strategies under Exhibit A. While only a subset of counties have completed the Exhibit C collaborative planning process, it’s important to note that this step is not required unless Exhibit B strategies are being pursued. We appreciate our North Carolina partners for flagging this and remain committed to providing accurate, actionable information.

It’s a good reminder: news headlines are a starting point, not a conclusion. Meaningful public health work depends on questioning assumptions, digging deeper, and correcting course when needed. This newsletter is part of that process.

Also this week, we’re highlighting a powerful new report from Elevyst: Substance Use, Stigma, and Pennsylvania’s Criminal Justice System: A Look Forward. Drawing on statewide survey data and interviews, the report reveals that 75% of Pennsylvanians have direct or indirect contact with someone struggling with substance use, yet more than half still believe it’s best to keep their distance. That stigma extends into the justice system itself, where 53% of criminal justice professionals expressed similar attitudes. Still, the report shows rising optimism about recovery and broad support for treatment, diversion, and rights restoration, offering a roadmap for progress. Read the full report.

Finally, if you’re attending the Rx Summit next week in Nashville, we’d love to connect! The Community Education Group (CEG) team will be there, ready to share ideas, discuss partnerships, and learn from others advancing the response to the opioid crisis. Learn more about the Rx Summit.

Thanks, as always, for reading, and for your continued commitment to justice, public health, and healing.

— The CEG Team

Alabama

Decatur, Alabama, is considering how to invest $1.79 million in opioid settlement funds, with a focus on expanding recovery services. Following guidance from Attorney General Steve Marshall, the city is reviewing proposals from Partnership for a Drug-Free Community, a nonprofit already serving multiple north Alabama communities.

Two contract options are on the table:

• $467K to provide services from the nonprofit’s Huntsville office
• $1.7M to establish a fully staffed local office in Decatur

City officials, including Mayor Tab Bowling, indicated they may start with the more modest plan to build capacity gradually. This reflects a broader statewide strategy of partnering with regional providers to scale recovery services responsibly.

Kentucky

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, Kentucky continues to expand its statewide response to the opioid crisis, with more than $19.8 million awarded to 75 organizations through the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. Grants support a range of strategies, including treatment, harm reduction, youth prevention, housing, and workforce development.

In Murray, city officials allocated settlement funds to open a new opioid recovery community center in partnership with Volunteers of America Mid-States. The center, set to open in the coming months, will offer peer navigation, treatment connections, and meeting space for recovery groups.

Meanwhile, the Owensboro Family YMCA received $208,000 to launch a statewide youth prevention initiative reaching rural areas, including parts of Appalachia. Programs will be integrated into after-school activities and summer camps, targeting children as young as four.

Other grant recipients include:

• Operation UNITE – $859,000 for youth prevention and leadership development across 43 counties
• Hazard Community and Technical College – $500,000 to deliver industry-recognized training in recovery settings
• Kentucky River District Health Department – $545,000 to expand harm reduction and peer support services
• Thrive Community Coalition – $355,000 to support recovery-to-work programming in eastern Kentucky
• See the full list of funded organizations here.

At the local level, counties like Carter are exploring public input and community advisory boards to help shape their funding decisions.

Maryland

Maryland lawmakers passed several key bills during the 2025 legislative session to strengthen local opioid response efforts and increase transparency in fund use.

HB 798/SB 589 requires the Maryland Office of Overdose Response and Department of Health to launch a public dashboard showing how Opioid Restitution Funds are spent. HB 729/SB 594 expands the range of allowable uses for these funds, aligning them with national settlement guidelines.

HB 1131 creates the Buprenorphine Training Grant Program to help counties train paramedics in administering medication for opioid overdose. Other approved legislation supports behavioral crisis response programs (HB 1049/SB 599) and the expansion of federally qualified health centers (HB 43/SB 1005).

Efforts to improve local access to opioid-related disease prevention data (HB 999) did not pass. However, the session marked meaningful progress in building a more accountable and locally driven opioid response across the state.

Mississippi

Lee County, Mississippi, has approved $70,333 in opioid settlement funding to support prevention work through Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services (ADDS) of Southeast Iowa. The funding will help retain a staff member who delivers substance use prevention education across the county, including in local schools.

The staffer currently leads youth-focused initiatives like the Too Good for Drugs program, which teaches 4th–6th graders about substance use risks. With settlement funding, ADDS plans to expand services to all area high schools, helping ensure sustained prevention outreach beyond the end of previous ARPA grant support.

The proposal was vetted by Lee County’s Opioid Oversight Committee and unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors, signaling strong local commitment to early intervention and education as core components of opioid misuse prevention.

New York

In Yates County, legislators approved over $290,000 to support recovery housing, harm reduction outreach, transportation services, and school-based prevention education. Local partners include Finger Lakes Addiction Counseling and Referral Agency, Our Town Rocks, and the Council on Addictions of the Finger Lakes.

Seneca County allocated $84,417 to expand prevention and harm reduction programming through the United Way of Seneca County. The effort is coordinated by the county’s Community Services Board and aims to reach more youth and community members.

In Nassau County, Democratic legislators are pushing for the release of more than $1 million in stalled first responder grants, including funding for opioid response equipment and services. They have paused support for additional county borrowing until an agreement is reached that ensures fair and transparent funding across districts.

North Carolina

In Wilson County, five overdose prevention kiosks were installed at community hubs to provide 24/7 access to naloxone, fentanyl testing strips, and recovery resources. Funded through a $2.9 million federal grant and supported by Wilson County’s opioid settlement allocation, the kiosks are already reaching residents in high-need areas. Four additional kiosks were deployed in Edgecombe, Nash, Warren, and Wayne counties.

In Mecklenburg County, more than $800,000 in settlement funding supported Hope Recovery Resources to expand recovery housing for individuals with substance use disorders. The organization waived fees for low-income residents, added beds, and plans to open an additional home for women. Separately, county ABC stores are now stocked with Narcan, with staff trained to administer it in emergencies.

Also in Charlotte, the Herbert J. Hoelter Vocational Training Center is helping people in recovery and those recently incarcerated access training in HVAC, automotive work, and commercial driving. This second-chance program, which serves individuals experiencing homelessness or addiction, is providing job pathways and new starts for people like Dejuanta Brown, who now owns his own mobile mechanic service after participating in the program.

Ohio

Ohio is directing opioid settlement dollars toward addiction treatment in jails and expanding access to recovery services across the state. In Cuyahoga County, early settlement funds helped overhaul detox protocols in the jail, expand law enforcement training, and open a diversion center for people in crisis. Local provider Stella Maris used $11 million to add inpatient beds, recovery housing, mental health staff, and job training programs. The facility now serves over 5,000 clients annually, up from 2,600 in 2019.

Substance use trends are also shifting. In 2024, alcohol-related admissions at Stella Maris outpaced opioid-related cases for the first time in a decade, signaling an evolving treatment landscape.

At the state level, the Opioid Remediation Grant Program is funding jail-based addiction services. Grants have been awarded to eight counties, including Summit, Medina, and Trumbull, to hire staff and purchase medications for inmates in withdrawal.

Medina County also approved more than $350,000 in settlement funds for local organizations providing prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

Pennsylvania

A new study analyzing U.S. opinion news media found that while most editorials supported harm reduction approaches to the opioid crisis, more than half still used stigmatizing language. Pennsylvania was among the 13 states represented. The findings suggest a need for consistent, stigma-free communication to improve public understanding and policy uptake of life-saving harm reduction strategies.

At the local level, Montgomery County is expanding its leadership capacity with the newly posted Program Specialist II / Opioid Settlement Coordinator position. This full-time role will oversee opioid settlement fund planning, provider coordination, data analysis, and cross-system engagement. The position is housed in the Office of Drug & Alcohol and pays between $54,910 and $73,219 annually. Applications are due by April 24. Apply here.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council continues to strategically deploy opioid settlement funds across the state, using data-driven tools and cross-sector partnerships. In collaboration with SAS and Microsoft, the Council is using predictive analytics to target funding toward communities with the highest need, helping local leaders make informed, outcome-based investments.

Recent developments include:

• ETSU and Frontier Health received $7.4 million to support 10 initiatives in Northeast Tennessee. This includes scholarships for students in social work, counseling, and psychiatric nurse practitioner programs to address behavioral health workforce shortages in the region. Apply here.
• Hamilton County allocated $500,000 to Cadence for new sober living apartments, expanding their capacity to support residents in recovery.
• Carter County dedicated $856,000 across three programs: $500,000 to Northeast Tennessee Regional Recovery Centers, $300,000 to Families Free, and $65,000 to the local Child Abuse Prevention Agency.
• Sumner County’s Recovery Court, now in its 22nd year, is seeking funding for facility renovations to better support intensive outpatient services and medication-assisted treatment.
• Monroe County awarded its first round of local grants to seven nonprofits through a transparent council-led process.
• Giles County will allocate over $140,000 to jail-based case management, recovery programming, and family support services.

Virginia

Montgomery County approved funding for the New River Valley Recovery Ecosystem, a regional initiative supporting individuals with substance use disorders. Local leaders emphasized transparency and regional collaboration in fund management.

Virginia Tech’s public health program, supported by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA), is expanding statewide prevention education. Through the VCE-COPE initiative, school-based programs like Botvin LifeSkills and Mental Health First Aid are being delivered in partnership with the Department of Education, helping reduce stigma and improve youth mental health.

In Roanoke, The Grove on Patterson opened on April 14. This residential program offers treatment and recovery services for pregnant and parenting women, allowing them to stay with their children while receiving medical, psychiatric, and peer support. The project is a collaboration between Anderson Treatment Center, Restoration Housing, Carilion, and others, backed by the OAA.

The Virginia Opioid Abatement Academy, held April 10, spotlighted best practices in fund implementation, highlighting local leadership and the value of cross-sector partnerships. Watch the recording here.

West Virginia

The Mason County Commission approved $20,000 in opioid settlement funding to launch prevention programs at Wahama and Hannan high schools. In partnership with the Mason County Prevention Coalition and Prestera Center, the initiative will offer evidence-based curricula such as Too Good for Drugs, LifeSkills, and mental health education, based on student input.

The Teen Institute model will also expand into an annual event at each school to reach more students. Additional settlement funds were allocated to purchase a law enforcement simulator for the Mason County Career Center, enhancing public safety training.

Weirton, West Virginia — application info. (“[f]unding decisions are made by the Weirton City Council”) (courtesy of OpioidSettlementTracker.com)

West Virginia First Foundation (RFP) Needs Assessment— application info.. (DUE 4/18)

Lawrence County, TN Round 2: Opioid Abatement Settlement Grant— application info. (DUE 5/4)

Cumberland County, NC (RFP) to Address Opioid Crisis— application info. (DUE 5/30)

For more grant opportunities, check out: OpioidSettlementTracker.com. To share unlisted grant opportunities, email tips@OpioidSettlementTracker.com. For other tips, contact aor@communityeducationgroup.org.

Want your event or upcoming meeting published in the AOR newsletter? Email us at AOR@communityeducationgroup.org