Commissioners forward four opioid-settlement grant recommendations to state trust

Lawrence County Commissioners on Oct. 14 approved forwarding four grant recommendations, vetted by the county’s opioid advisory board, to the state opioid settlement trust for final approval.

The advisory board recommended $100,000 to the Lawrence County DUI program; $247,000 to “Bridging Recovery” for medication‑assisted treatment expansion in the county jail; $27,510 to the Newcastle City Fire Department for rescue equipment and supplies for overdose response; and $78,500 to Game Changer for school-based opioid education. The board’s chair described the county process as one that vets applications locally before submitting them to the state trust for review.

Advisory board chair Joe Venasco told commissioners that the county’s policy is intended to prevent the county from committing funds before the state trust signs off and that the process can be lengthy. He said some items are reissues of earlier awards (the DUI program and Game Changer had prior approvals) while Bridging Recovery represented a new request aimed at establishing or expanding a jail‑based MAT (medication‑assisted treatment) program.

Commissioners expressed general support for the four recommendations and voted to forward them to the state trust. Several commissioners noted the merits of maintaining careful local review to protect the county’s general fund while pursuing settlement dollars.

Why it matters: Opioid-settlement funds are a recurring, county-level source of grant support for treatment, recovery and prevention initiatives. The projects proposed would expand clinical services in the jail, support local first responders’ capacity to respond to overdoses and continue school‑based outreach.

What’s next: The submitted applications will be reviewed by the state trust. If approved by the trust, the county will formally authorize funds and proceed with contract and payment steps per the county’s established process.