Good afternoon,

As we plan a brief hiatus for the Appalachia Opioid Remediation (AOR) Newsletter beginning September 1st, we’re asking for your feedback. What sections do you find most helpful? What could we improve? How do you use this newsletter in your day-to-day work? Your input will help us shape what comes next.

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Correction from last week:
The item about ReVIDA Recovery Center opening a new facility in Fayetteville was mistakenly listed under North Carolina. It should have been listed under Tennessee, where the facility is located and funded through that state’s opioid abatement process.

This week’s findings highlight the diverse and expanding strategies states and counties are using to deploy opioid settlement funds. We’re seeing new investments in school-based mental health programs (Virginia), crisis stabilization units (Mississippi), community recovery housing (Ohio), and peer-led outreach efforts in jails and reentry programs (South Carolina and North Carolina). States like Alabama, Georgia, and West Virginia announced their shares of the latest $7.4 billion Purdue settlement, while others continue to refine local application processes and advisory boards. Across the region, the emphasis remains clear: support local leadership, improve long-term infrastructure, and invest in interventions rooted in lived experience.

Warmly,
The AOR Team

Alabama

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office outfitted all patrol units, the jail, courthouse, and office headquarters with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and first aid kits using funds from the Alabama Opioid Settlement Fund Grant Program. Sheriff David Scruggs emphasized the importance of rapid response, noting that deputies often arrive on scene before EMS and need to be equipped for a range of medical emergencies, including opioid overdoses.

On the policy front, Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Alabama’s participation in a new $7.4 billion national settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. The agreement ends Sackler control of the company and secures up to $75 million for Alabama over the next 15 years, with the majority of funds frontloaded in the first three years to support addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery.

🔗 Butler County equips patrols with AEDs
🔗 Purdue Pharma $7.4B settlement details

Georgia

Georgia is slated to receive $126 million from the national Purdue Pharma/Sackler opioid settlement. Attorney General Chris Carr emphasized the state’s readiness to invest in treatment, prevention, and recovery services, pending local government sign-on and court approval.

Meanwhile, Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Health Logistics and Analytics (IHLA) has been awarded $2.2 million from the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust to launch a two-year harm reduction program targeting justice-involved individuals in rural areas. The Rural Opioid Harm Reduction (ROHR) project will partner with local law enforcement and recovery organizations to distribute naloxone, provide training, and support post-release overdose prevention.

🔗 IHLA Rural Harm Reduction Program
🔗 Georgia to Receive $126M from Purdue Settlement

Kentucky

The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC) announced a $5 million research and innovation grant opportunity, targeting novel interventions for opioid use disorder (OUD) and co-occurring conditions. Applications open July 1 and close December 20.

In Floyd County, officials allocated $200,000 in opioid settlement funds to the local school system’s Youth Service Centers—marking the first such distribution in the state. The funding will support basic needs like food, school supplies, and utility assistance for families affected by substance use.

In Murray, the City Council approved a partnership with Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOAMid) to operate a new Recovery Community Center (RCC) funded by opioid settlement dollars. The center is expected to serve 250–400 individuals in its first year, offering weekly recovery meetings, peer support, transportation, and outreach to incarcerated individuals. VOAMid will manage operations, with at least 75% of staff expected to be in recovery. Services will also include family programming and harm reduction training.

🔗 KYOAAC Research Grant
🔗 Floyd County schools receive opioid funds
🔗 Murray to open Recovery Community Center

Maryland

Baltimore is directing opioid settlement funds toward frontline nonprofits like Helping Up Mission. CEO Dan Stoltzfus recently explained how these investments will strengthen recovery services and community outreach. The organization is one of several receiving support as part of the city’s broader strategy to reinvest settlement dollars in the neighborhoods hardest hit by the epidemic.

This update follows a court ruling that reduced the city’s $266 million jury award against major distributors to $52 million. While Baltimore pursues options for appeal or renegotiation, the city has already secured over $400 million from separate settlements and is actively deploying funds through its Opioid Restitution Fund. The FY2026 budget includes $36 million for abatement efforts.

🔗 Helping Up Mission explains impact
🔗 Court Ruling
🔗 Settlement Fund Usage

Mississippi

Lamar County is converting a former National Guard Armory into a crisis stabilization unit (CSU) using $265,000 in opioid settlement funds. County leaders emphasized the importance of long-term infrastructure investments over short-term programming. The CSU will provide short-term treatment for individuals in mental health or substance use crisis, with completion expected by next summer.

Statewide, Mississippi is expected to receive at least $374 million in opioid settlement funds by 2038—plus $41 million from Purdue Pharma if finalized. While localities like Forrest County and Hattiesburg have started using their shares, the state’s distribution process remains in early stages. A newly formed 37-member Opioid Settlement Advisory Council will recommend grants, with the Legislature maintaining final approval. Some residents and advocates have raised concerns about transparency and limited community input.

🔗 Lamar County crisis stabilization unit
🔗 Q&A: Mississippi’s opioid settlements explained
🔗 Advisory Council appointees named

New York

Cortland County has issued a new RFP (ID: EXTRA-55670) for opioid settlement fund utilization services. Proposals are due August 28. The selected vendor will provide comprehensive recovery services, including supportive housing, medical detox, peer support, community navigation, and workforce training aimed at reducing stigma and enhancing recovery pathways.

🔗 Cortland County RFP for opioid settlement services (due 8/28)

North Carolina

Ohio

The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is setting long-term strategies in motion, including a proposed term endowment that would sustainably support prevention, treatment, and recovery work statewide. The Foundation authorized $40 million for its next regional grant round and continues to refine its organizational structure after achieving 501(c)(3) status.

Meanwhile, local funding is already driving change. In Hamilton County, Serenity Recovery Network was awarded $240,900 to renovate a 5-unit, 9-bed facility in Cincinnati. The abstinence-based recovery housing initiative offers structured, peer-supported living for individuals in recovery. County officials praised the project as a model of sustainable reintegration and community impact.

🔗 OneOhio Foundation Board meeting summary
🔗 Serenity Recovery Network housing grant

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania continues to demonstrate the complexities and opportunities surrounding opioid settlement implementation. In Luzerne County, litigation over a $581,000 allocation for a Wilkes-Barre recovery center has intensified, with dueling lawsuits alleging deception and defamation between former partners vying for control. Meanwhile, statewide efforts are focusing on workforce development. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) highlighted the success of its SUD student loan repayment program, funded in part by McKinsey settlement dollars. In Clearfield County, loan forgiveness totaling over $300,000 has helped rural SUD professionals stay in the field. Governor Shapiro’s FY2025–26 budget proposes expanding the initiative with a $10 million investment to address projected behavioral health workforce shortages—especially in underserved rural counties.

🔗 Luzerne County litigation
🔗 Rural SUD workforce investment

South Carolina

In Aiken County, national opioid settlement funds are supporting new recovery programs inside the detention center. In partnership with the Aiken Center and Aiken-Barnwell Mental Health, the sheriff’s office has deployed recovery coaches to work directly with incarcerated individuals. The initiative aims to interrupt cycles of addiction by equipping inmates with tools and resources for long-term sobriety—including GED programs and post-release support options.

Sheriff Marty Sawyer emphasized the importance of using incarceration as a window for intervention: “We’re giving these inmates all the tools we can… so they don’t come back to the jail over and over and over.”

🔗 Aiken jail recovery program

Tennessee

Tennessee counties continue to navigate the allocation and oversight of opioid settlement funds. In Putnam County, the annual task force reduced its available funding from $495,000 to $403,000 for FY2025–26, continuing to support local recovery initiatives despite declining state projections. Coffee County’s Opioid Abatement Fund Committee will meet on June 25 to evaluate priorities. Meanwhile, the Hamilton County Commission approved a $1 billion+ budget that reclassified opioid abatement funds as one-time allocations, cutting or reducing funding for organizations like La Paz and United Way 211. Looking ahead, the Opioid Abatement Committee in Sumner County will convene on July 16 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sumner County Administration Building in Gallatin, with public comment sign-ups available at the start of the meeting.

🔗 Putnam County distribution
🔗 Coffee County meeting
🔗 Hamilton County budget
🔗 Sumner County public meeting

Virginia

Clarke County Public Schools will spearhead a new Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) program thanks to a $115,050 grant from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. Ninth graders in Clarke, Warren, Shenandoah, and Page counties will learn how to recognize and respond to behavioral and substance abuse challenges among peers. The program, based on a model from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, includes peer-support strategies and adult intervention protocols. The Northwestern Community Services Board will hire a coordinator and oversee materials and training. No local match is required, though Clarke must reapply annually for continued funding through 2029.

🔗 Peer-support program announcement

West Virginia

The West Virginia First Foundation (WVFF) has appointed its inaugural Regional Expert Panel members to guide opioid settlement spending across six regions. Each seven-member panel represents key sectors—prevention, treatment, recovery, health systems, law enforcement, first responders, and corrections—and will advise on data, grant proposals, and community-specific funding strategies. Panels will also nominate subject matter experts to inform statewide priorities via the State Expert Panel.

Separately, West Virginia will receive $53 million over nine years through the Purdue Pharma/Sackler settlement due to the state’s disproportionate opioid impact. The funding will be distributed through the WVFF framework, with 72.5% going to the Foundation, 24.5% to cities and counties, and 3% to the Attorney General’s Office. West Virginia’s overdose death rate—once the nation’s highest—has dropped nearly 38% year-over-year as of late 2024.

🔗 Regional Expert Panels announced
🔗 Purdue Pharma settlement details

Cobb County, GA (RFP) to Address Opioid Crisis— application info. (DUE 7/11)

New York – OASAS continues to fund workforce development efforts, including scholarship programs for CASAC training.

• Additional RFPs and funding streams may be available through county-specific portals or state MOA advisory boards.

• Cortland County has issued a new RFP (ID: EXTRA-55670) for opioid settlement fund utilization services. Proposals are due August 28. The selected vendor will provide comprehensive recovery services, including supportive housing, medical detox, peer support, community navigation, and workforce training aimed at reducing stigma and enhancing recovery pathways. Cortland County RFP for opioid settlement services (due 8/28)

City of Moundsville, WV invites organizations to apply for opioid settlement funds— application info.

City of Fairmont, WV invites organizations to apply for opioid settlement funds. A 20% match will be required for all projects.— application info.

Burke County, NC: Open competitive RFP for FY25–26, Due 7/11/2025 2:00 PM. Apply here.

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

Webinar

Data-Driven Uses for State Opioid Settlement Funds

A virtual panel discussion exploring how states can strategically invest opioid settlement funds using data-driven approaches. Topics include:

• Identifying high-impact investments
• Navigating funding allocation challenges
• Ensuring sustainable change through data-informed strategies

Date: June 25, 2025

Time: 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET

Location: Online

🔗 Register here

Alabama

Oversight Commission on Settlement Funds

• 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 

Kentucky

Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (info here)

• Can watch live and recordings on their YouTube channel

Maryland

Maryland Overdose Response Advisory Council

• 100 State Cir, Annapolis, MD 21401
• Governor’s Reception Room
• Live stream link here.

New York

Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board (info here)

• 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’
• Next meeting TBD
• Webex link here.

North Carolina

Cumberland-Fayetteville Opioid Response Team Meeting

• Third Tuesday of each month, 10:00-11:30am EST
• In-person at: Cumberland County Department of Public Health

Ohio

OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board (info here)

• Full Board Meeting:
• Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/99453254681
• Can watch live and recordings on their website

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

• TBD

Pennsylvania

Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust (meeting info here)

• In-person, located in Harrisburg
• All are virtual and can be watched live via Zoom and recordings on YouTube 

South Carolina

Opioid Recovery Fund

• Coffee Chat: This is held on the first Friday of the month and is an opportunity to ask questions and hear announcements about opioid settlement funds
• The SCORF Board will open to public comment during Coffee Chat on August 1 and November 7. Advanced registration is required to comment. (info here).

Tennessee

Opioid Abatement Council

• Quarterly Meeting: June 24, 2025, 12:00pm CST (info here)
• Next in-person located in Overton County, TN. 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)

• 24. S. Market St.
• More info here.

West Virginia

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

• Board of Directors meeting: June 30, 2025, 10:00am EST
• Questions can be submitted to media@wvfirst.org
• Google Meet link here.

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