Good afternoon!

 We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Syndemic Summit, a pivotal event dedicated to addressing critical health crises impacting Appalachia and beyond. This year’s Summit will take place in Huntington, West Virginia, in September 2025, bringing together experts, advocates, policymakers, healthcare providers, and community leaders to tackle pressing public health challenges collaboratively. 

The Syndemic Summit is a unique platform to focus on the interconnected issues of HIV, hepatitis, and overdose prevention, as well as broader topics such as workforce development, harm reduction, and regional collaboration. Through impactful keynotes, solution-driven workshops, and interactive discussions, attendees will gain actionable insights and strategies to foster resilience and improve community health outcomes. 

In addition to the Summit, we are proud to partner with the Healing Appalachian Festival, a cultural celebration featuring local art, music, and activities that highlight the strength and spirit of Appalachian communities. 

Whether you’re a public health professional, a community advocate, or passionate about creating change, the 2025 Syndemic Summit is your opportunity to connect, collaborate, and contribute to lasting solutions. Join us in building stronger communities and advancing health equity in Appalachia.

New York

The Albany County Legislature announced plans to invest over $1.5 million in settlement funds.

• County Department of Health: $619,402 will fund public prevention campaigns, opioid crisis response staffing, and harm reduction resources, including naloxone housing units and overdose response kits.
• Albany County Department of Mental Health: $436,240 will expand the Mobile Outreach Treatment Overdose Response Unit. The program will grow with a second team, extended service hours, two new electric mobile office vans, and a part-time nurse practitioner to provide MOUD.
• Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center: $200,000 will support education and prevention initiatives targeting youth and young adults aged 10 to 24 to address opioid use disorder.
• Albany County Coroners’ Office: $260,400 will go toward implementing a new data management system and hiring additional staff.

North Carolina

The Camden County Board of Commissioners voted to hire a part-time Life Skills Coach to work in local schools, providing drug awareness and prevention education to at-risk children. The position, funded by opioid settlement dollars, will pay $37,500 annually and is set to run through June 30, 2026.

Ohio

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation awarded more than $3.5 million in grants to support 27 projects across the state. 

• Butler County Family & Children First Council – Butler County Prevention + – Prevention – $917,964
• Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, LLC – MOUD Navigator Project – Treatment and Healthcare Services – $144,087.90
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Restore Recovery: Small Repairs Grants for Recovery Housing Residences – Recovery Supports – $150,000
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Restore Recovery: Small Repairs Grants for Recovery Housing Residences – Recovery Supports – $140,000
• Warriors 4 Christ Recovery Ministries – Project Hope Housing – Recovery Supports – $220,000
• Ignited – OneOhio Ignited: Empowering Recovery through Housing – Recovery Supports – $200,000
• Cedar Ridge Behavioral Health Solutions – Cedar Ridge WORKS – Treatment and Healthcare Services – $86,500
• Geauga County – The New Leaf Program – Criminal Legal System – $90,000
• Riveon Mental Health and Recovery – Expanding Access to Care Through Evening and Weekend Hours – Treatment and Healthcare Services – $90,100
• Riveon Mental Health and Recovery – Transportation – Removing the Barrier – Treatment and Healthcare Services – $95,040
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Restore Recovery: Small Repairs Grants for Recovery Housing Residences – Recovery Supports – $100,000
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Peer to Professional: Guiding House Managers to Excellence – Workforce – $33,000
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Peer to Professional: Guiding House Managers to Excellence – Workforce – $30,000
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Peer to Professional: Guiding House Managers to Excellence – Workforce – $33,000
• Ohio Recovery Housing – Restore Recovery: Small Repairs Grants for Recovery Housing Residences – Recovery Supports – $70,000

Pennsylvania

Carbon County Commissioners allocated $25,000 to Sync Recovery Community. The organization plans to use the funds to host community events and raise awareness about recovery resources.

Franklin County awarded the following:

• Healthy Community Partnership received $30,000 to implement a media campaign focused on substance use awareness and prevention.
• Shippensburg University was awarded $15,000 to promote harm reduction and prevent overdose deaths.
• Leah’s Legacy received $50,000 to expand warm hand-off programs and recovery services.
• Noah’s House Inc. was granted $50,000 to expand recovery housing and services.
• Pyramid Healthcare was awarded $26,000 to enhance access to treatment and recovery services for Hispanic populations.

Tennessee

News reports that Clarksville County is adding a Grants Analysis position to manage settlement funds. According to the article, “Mayor Wes Golden added that the intent of the opioid lawsuit was to reimburse the county for the tax dollars spend due to the opioid epidemic. He said their main goal is to offset tax dollars with that money, and that they’ve had an internal committee identify their needs.”

West Virginia

The West Virginia First Foundation announced recipients of its Initial Opportunity Grants, with the board approving nearly $10.4 million in funding for 38 organizations.

Region 1

• Wheeling Police Department – WV CIT Collaborative – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $463,633.60

Region 2

• Berkeley County Commission – Berkeley County Diversion and Interdiction Project – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $625,644.46
• Children’s Home Society of West Virginia – Victoria’s House Child Advocacy Center – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $173,358.40
• Hampshire County Pathways, Inc. – WVCORR Transitions Project – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $400,000.00
• Jefferson County Schools – Prevention Education Project – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $50,000.00
• Semper Liberi Incorporated – Mountaineer Recovery Village Phase 1 Start Up Costs – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $400,000.00
• Town of Romney, WV – Romney Pool Project – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $120,000.00

Region 3

• Hope House Ministries, Inc. – Hope House Ministries – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $200,000.00
• Jackson County Health Department/Board of Health – Jackson County QRT – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $192,000.00
• Jackson County Health Department/Board of Health – Jackson County Anti-Drug Coalition – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $112,500.00
• North Star Child Advocacy Center – Expansion – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $720,000.00
• United Way Alliance of the Mid Ohio Valley, Inc. – C-MOV, A Comprehensive Community Health Worker Initiative of the Mid-Ohio Valley – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $57,000.00
• Westbrook Health Services – Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $298,686.94

Region 4

• Abundant Life Recovery Center – Sustainability and Capacity Building – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $385,656.70
• Lauren’s Wish Addiction Triage Center, Inc. – Lauren’s Wish Client Services – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $168,350.71
• Libera, Inc. – Libera Groups, Mentoring, and Community Building to Support OUD Impacted Youth – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $153,120.06
• Monongalia County Board of Health – Equipping School Resource Officers to Address Substance Use and Trauma in Monongalia County Schools – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $93,528.17
• Morgantown Sober Living, Inc. – Meeting the Need: Expanding Recovery Housing for Individuals Experiencing SUD Including Justice-Involved Populations – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $360,000.00
• National Youth Advocate Program, Inc. – Strengthening Families Program – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $417,849.88
• New Vision Renewable Energy, Inc. – Prevention Works – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $229,030.05
• Preston County Board of Education – Preston County Schools – Expulsion Diversion and SOR – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $93,212.28
• Valley Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center, Inc. – Valley Comprehensive LEAD/CIT Program – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $444,908.84

Region 5

• Cabell County Commission – Cabell County Quick Response Team – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $324,826.09
• Mission West Virginia, Inc. – The Bridge (A) – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $152,402.04
• Mission West Virginia, Inc. – The Bridge (B) – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $213,750.00
• Pollen8, Inc. – Recovery Housing Expansion – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $225,000.00
• Prestera Center for Mental Health Services Inc. – Prestera CIT Initiative – Diversion & Interdiction Programs – $475,173.91
• The Foundation for the Thomas Memorial & St. Francis Hospitals – Thomas Hospitals PPW Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Program aka “Pregnancy Connection” – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $100,413.04
• West Virginia Court Appointed Special Advocates Association, Inc. (CASA) – Children Caught in the Wake of the West Virginia Opioid Crisis – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $279,812.91
• West Virginia Health Right, Inc. – WV Health Right – HOPE Program – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $267,372.00

Region 6

• Fayette County Family Resource Network, Inc. – Brain, Bonds, and Beyond – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $130,000.00
• Just for Kids, Inc. – Project GRACE – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $114,487.18
• Nicholas County Health Department – Nicholas County Health Department ICE Collaborative – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $150,436.00
• Save the Children Federation, Inc. – 2Gen Family Focus – Investing in Children and Caregivers Impacted by OUD – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $143,900.40
• Seed Sower, Inc. – Housing and Supports for Women, Including PPW in Recovery and their Infant Children in Southern WV – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $118,890.53
• Seed Sower, Inc. – Expanding Access to Workforce Opportunities and Supportive Structures in Southern WV – Youth Prevention & Workforce Development – $442,800.00
• Southern WV Fellowship Home, Inc. – SWVFH Expansion – Transitional/Recovery Housing Expansion – $658,800.00
• WV Perinatal Partnership, Inc. – DFMB Expansion and Pediatric Continuity Project – Child Advocacy Centers/PPW-NAS – $422,721.89

Seneca County, New York — application info. (DUE 1/6/2025)

Pennsylvania — DDAP application info. “Recovery Housing for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and other drugs” (DUE 1/10)

Kentucky — KYOAAC application portal for “Prevention” and “Treatment and Recovery Support” (DUE 1/17/25)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — application info. (DUE 1/30)

Anderson County, Tennessee — application info. (DUE 1/31)

Orange County, North Carolina — application info. (DUE 2/21)

Alabama

Oversight Commission on Settlement Funds

• TBD
• In-person in Montgomery, AL
• Can watch live on their website (choose ‘Room 200’ for location then ‘Oversight Commission on Alabama Opioid Settlement Funds’ for meeting)

You can also watch livestreams and recordings on The Alabama Channel (thanks to the League of Women Voters of Alabama Education Fund)

Georgia

Georgia Opioid Settlement Advisory Commission 

• TBD (late February or early March 2025)

Kentucky

Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (info here)

• Business Meeting: March, 11 2025, 1pm EST
• In-person located in Frankfort, KY and attendees can give public comment
• Can watch live and recordings on their YouTube channel
• Prevention/Reform/Compliance Subcommittee Meeting: TBD
• In-person located in Frankfort, KY
• Treatment & Recovery Subcommittee meeting: TBD
• In-person located in Frankfort, KY

Maryland

Opioid Restitution Fund Advisory Council (info here)

• TBD
• Meetings are all-virtual. Can watch live via Google Meet & there is usually an opportunity for public comment

New York

Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board (info here)

• TBD
• In-person located in Albany, and attendees can give public comment
• Can watch live and recordings on their website

Monthly ‘Community’ meeting: 4th Wednesday of the month at 12pm

• See this page under ‘Community Input’

Ohio

OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board (info here)

• Full Board Meeting: February 12 2025, 10:30am EST
• In-person meetings are located in Columbus and are open to the public, but there is usually no opportunity for public comment
• Can watch live and recordings on their website
• Audit & Finance Committee: TBD
• Executive Committee: TBD
• Grant Oversight Committee: TBD
• Personnel Committee: TBD
• Investment Committee: TBD

Regional Information Sessions (see events calendar for most up-to-date info)

• TBD

Pennsylvania

Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust (meeting info here)

• Board of Trustees Meeting: TBD
• In-person located in Harrisburg
• All are virtual and can be watched live via Zoom and recordings on YouTube 

South Carolina

Opioid Recovery Fund

• SCORF Board Meeting: March 5, 2025, 10:00am EST (info here)
• Coffee Chat: February 7, 2025, 9:30am EST virtual
• This is held the first Friday of the month and is an opportunity to ask questions and hear announcements about opioid settlement funds

Tennessee

Opioid Abatement Council

• Emergency Meeting: January 23, 2025, 5:30pm EST (info here)
• Meeting: TBD (info here)
• In-person located in Franklin, TN. (Location rotates around the state.) Meetings are also available to watch via Teams – All attendees can give public comment
• Recordings and meeting minutes are available on their website

Virginia

Opioid Abatement Authority (meeting info here)

• Grants Committee: TBD
• Finance Committee: TBD
• Board Meeting: TBD

West Virginia

West Virginia First Foundation, Inc. (meeting info here)

• Board of Directors meeting: March 2025 TBD
• Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month