Newport News allocates opioid-settlement funds to jail MAT, peer recovery and mobile medical unit programs

Newport News — On May 12 the City Council approved a series of resolutions accepting opioid-abatement funds and appropriating them for local programs addressing opioid misuse and recovery.

City Manager Alan Archer recommended approval of four items: $99,854 to support the jail-based medication-assisted treatment program (G2); $235,131 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority for peer-recovery center programming (G3); $248,256.33 for a mobile medical unit program (G4); and approximately $719,331.86 from direct-distribution funding to support cooperative programs and projects (G5). Council approved each resolution by voice vote during the meeting.

Council members framed the appropriations as part of the city's broader public-health response to opioid harms. “There’s a lot of cities and counties across the country that have been hurt by opioids. To see this settlement come through… I know we're going to put it to good use in our community,” one council member said during discussion.

What happens next: The appropriated funds will be used to sustain jail-based MAT services, support peer-recovery operations and deploy a mobile medical unit through fiscal year 2026, with periodic reporting to council on program activity and expenditures.