On Jan. 20, a committee of the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) approved $545,429 in grants to five Virginia communities for new or expanded opioid abatement and remediation efforts.
“These awards provide support to Virginia cities and counties to implement and expand opioid abatement programs that meet the current and future needs of their communities,” said Senator Todd Pillion, Chair of the OAA Board of Directors. “Virginia continues to lead the way in awarding opioid settlement funds for diverse, evidence-based projects at the community level.”
“Awarding community-level projects,” said Delegate Brianna Sewell, Treasurer of the OAA Board of Directors, “really allows those on the front lines to steer the solutions and respond to what they are seeing.”
“We are beginning to see the results of the early rounds of OAA grants come to fruition,” said Dr. Sarah Thomason, Vice Chair of the OAA Board of Directors, “and it is wonderful to see more cities and counties applying these funds to help save lives in their communities.”

The award details are listed below:
• Clarke County was awarded $14,700 to fund a substance use disorder (SUD) intensive case manager

who will provide intensive case management services to reduce substance abuse/use in families and

children. This position will reduce SUD related child abuse/neglect and SUD among children. The

program will also strengthen families and increase local and regional collaborations for services.

Clarke County has pledged an additional $31,514 of its opioid settlement funds to support this effort.

• Franklin County was awarded two projects totaling $184,580

o An amendment to the current Grace House PEARL Program to increase the funding by $99,575 to

purchase an additional home for a larger program expansion in lieu of a costly renovation of a

portion of the current facility. Grace House is a six to 12-month recovery housing facility for

pregnant and postpartum women with five living units. Through Franklin County’s partnership

with the Piedmont Community Services Board, the addition of a new building will allow for three

additional living units and yield a 60% increase in the program’s capacity. Franklin County has

pledged an additional $138,920 of its opioid settlement funds to support this effort.

o A new Community Paramedicine Program designed to bridge gaps in healthcare access, reduce

avoidable emergency department utilization, and improve long-term outcomes for vulnerable populations. The program is awarded $73,500 and focuses on opioid use disorder (OUD) services

while also addressing broader Community Risk Reduction (CRR) priorities. The program will be

administered by the Franklin County Public Safety Department and implemented through a

phased approach, with expansion to full fiscal-year operations in subsequent phases. The

program will directly benefit residents who utilize emergency services for substance-use related

incidents, including approximately 150 opioid-related 911 calls received annually, while also

providing prevention, treatment linkage, and education for individuals experiencing non-opioid

substance use emergencies. Franklin County has pledged an additional $23,750 of its opioid

settlement funds to support this effort. Only 50% of the personnel costs are part of this OAA

project to ensure a separate pay source for time spent on non-abatement activities.

• Henrico County was awarded $275,000 to contract with an organization to provide substance use

education for up to 20 faith-based leaders from a cross section of faiths. The contracted provider will

work up to a year to ensure that faith leaders have a good understanding of substance use, and ways

to address substance use in their communities, as well as link individuals affected to the treatment

and supports they need. Faith leaders will have the opportunity to meet prevention, treatment,

recovery, and harm reduction providers in their communities. Leaders will work together to develop

and implement strategies to reduce substance use and overdoses in their congregations. In-person

training will be provided to assist the faith leaders with developing a project for engaging their

community on the topic of substance use and recovery. Henrico County expects that 20 faith-based

leaders will participate in this effort, benefitting 5,000+ individuals. The faith-based communities

may include the following: Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian communities.

• Patrick County was awarded $18,945 to enhance services for the Piedmont Adult Recovery Court and

to expand mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment within the Patrick County Jail.

Funds will support a Peer Support Specialist, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, licensed

therapist, Justice Support Supervisor, and the purchase of an SUV to address transportation barriers

and operating needs. The Peer Support Specialist will provide dedicated services to Adult Recovery

Court participants, while the Nurse Practitioner and therapist will deliver psychiatric medication

management and individual and group therapy to incarcerated individuals. The Justice Support

Supervisor will oversee service delivery within the jail setting. Adult Recovery Court serves up to 25

participants at a time with an anticipated eight graduates annually, while the Nurse Practitioner and

therapist will support up to 50 and 60 individuals per year, respectively. Through this coordinated

approach, Patrick County aims to expand access to treatment, improve recovery outcomes, and

reduce recidivism among justice-involved individuals. Patrick County has pledged an additional

$145,211 of its opioid settlement funds to support this effort. This project was identified following a

needs assessment that identified critical gaps in SUD services, particularly for justice-involved and

incarcerated individuals.

• The City of Fairfax was awarded $63,709 to implement a proof-of-concept initiative through the

development of an AI-enabled virtual reality (VR) training platform for multidisciplinary crisis

response teams. In partnership with George Mason University’s College of Public Health and

Immersion Technology Lab, Fairfax City will implement Phase 1 of the Community Opioid Response

Enrichment (CORE) project. CORE will enhance core competencies, coordination, and role-specific

expertise among crisis responders during opioid-related crisis and post-crisis events through

immersive, scenario-based VR training accessible both on-site and remotely. A key component of this

project consists of strengthening the integration and effective utilization of certified peer recovery

specialists within local crisis response systems, improving outcomes for individuals and

communities impacted by opioid use disorder.

To date OAA awards are funding more than 171 active projects across the Commonwealth.

Funding for the OAA grants and awards is a result of Virginia’s participation in numerous national

settlements from manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other organizations in the sphere of

prescription opioids. The payments, which began in 2022, from the various settling companies are

expected to exceed $1.1 billion in total funding and are expected to conclude by 2041.

The OAA was established by the General Assembly in 2021 to oversee the distribution of 55% of

Virginia’s total settlement funds. Of the remainder, 30% is distributed directly to cities and counties,

and the remaining 15% to the Commonwealth. The use of funds is restricted by court orders and state

statute, with the restrictions requiring that funds be used for opioid abatement and remediation

efforts.