Opioid Abatement Authority Announces $902,376 in Grant Awards to Lynchburg, Virginia Beach, and Warren County

Grants to Expand Community-Based Drug Prevention and Treatment Programs

December 9, 2024 – On December 6 the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (OAA) approved $902,376 in grants to three Virginia communities for new or expanded opioid abatement and remediation efforts:

• The City of Lynchburg was awarded $193,421 to fund a partnership with “Roads to Recovery” to provide intensive opioid and substance use disorder treatment and recovery services for an estimated 400 adults per year. The program will emphasize evidence-based peer and social supports for the delivery of detoxification services in a safe and supportive environment, including wraparound support for seamless transitioning to treatment and other recovery support services. Services will be available to residents of Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell.
• The City of Virginia Beach was awarded a total of $636,105 for six projects focusing on youth-related substance use prevention and recovery. These efforts will include hiring a certified youth peer support specialist, establishing an opioid prevention and treatment program at the city’s juvenile detention center, implementing the Law Enforcement Against Drugs (LEAD) program in schools and after-school settings, providing an online substance use education and prevention program in schools, launching a teen-focused social media campaign, and developing an education and prevention program that will be integrated into the city’s youth-oriented parks and recreation programs.
• Warren County was awarded $72,850 to expand youth services at the Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center. Funding will expand substance use prevention and abatement activities to all youth in Warren County between the ages of 13 to 18 in grades 8-12.

“We continue to see tremendous efforts by local governments to tackle the opioid and substance use crisis impacting communities,” said Senator Todd Pillion, Chair of the OAA Board of Directors. “The programs in this latest round of awards are great examples of how opioid settlement funds are being used to save lives.”

The OAA began accepting grant applications from cities and counties in October of 2024 and all applications are due no later than April 1, 2025. During this timeframe, certain types of grants (such as the ones listed above) can be awarded on a rolling basis, but most of the grants will be awarded after the application cycle has ended.

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About Opioid Settlements and the OAA:

Virginia expects to receive a total of approximately $1 billion from litigation against manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies that were alleged to have contributed to the opioid crisis. Payments from these settlements and bankruptcies began in 2022 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.

Since 2023 the OAA has awarded $47.2 million to Virginia’s cities and counties, and an additional $19.9 million to state agencies.

For more information contact info@voaa.us