Athens County will receive more than $1.5 million in federal funding to combat opioid use and overdose

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) – Governor DeWine announced in a press release Tuesday that $100 million in federal funding has been committed to combating opioid use and overdose.

A portion of the money, totaling approximately $68.7 million, will go to communities throughout the state of Ohio. According to the press release, these funds will support local organizations in prevention, harm reduction, treatment and long-term recovery services for Ohioans struggling with an opioid or stimulant use disorder.

According to the news release, over $1.5 million was awarded to four different organizations in Athens County.

Athens County organizations and the amounts awarded to them are listed below:

• Athens, Hocking, Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board (317 Board) received $553,465.93
• Health Recovery Services, Inc. was awarded $1,000,000.00
• Hopewell Health Centers, Inc. received $254,670.62
• Integrated Behavioral Health Services. received $47,997.95

Governor DeWine says, “We are empowering our local partners to advance their work to protect communities and families from the devastating effects of opioids and other substances.” Ohio's overdose death rate has declined significantly in recent years, and our goal is “It is to use these grants to continue this encouraging progress.” In a recent press release, DeWine announced that overdose deaths in Ohio have declined significantly for two years in a row and that the goal of the funding is to build on this momentum to build.

The remaining $100 million will go toward partnerships with state agencies to ensure life-saving naloxone and other community resources are available across the state.

This is the fourth round of federal opioid and stimulant response (SOS) grants. Funding was received from OhioMHAS through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In the press release, OhioMHAS identified these six priorities for this round of funding:

• Reducing unintentional overdose deaths
• Improving access to treatment for substance use disorders
• Preventing drug use among young people
• Increasing recovery support services
• Support responsible prescribing practices and statewide education efforts
• Promote integrated harm reduction practices

OhioMHAS Director LeeAnne Cornyn says, “This funding is critical to supporting our ongoing work to prevent and reduce overdose deaths in our state… [and] Even though the data is trending in the right direction, we are not out of the woods yet. Fentanyl continues to pose a serious threat to our communities, and that is why we are committed to investing these resources wisely in projects that make a real difference and ultimately save lives.”

More information about other counties and organizations that received grants can be found here.

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