Opioid Abatement Authority Awards $12.3 Million to 18 State Agencies

Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority awarded more than $12.3 million in 2026–2027 funding to 18 state agencies for prevention, treatment and recovery projects, continuing a settlement-funded strategy that now spans public health, education, corrections, courts and public universities.

According to the OAA’s Sept. 10 release, the Grants Committee on Sept. 1 approved $12,324,558.92 in new awards and allowed $3,120,475.72 in previously awarded funds to carry forward into the new performance period. Senator Todd Pillion, chair of the OAA board, said the awards strengthen partnerships that prevent misuse, expand treatment access and support recovery.

The competitive RFP opened March 20 and closed June 8, 2026. OAA received 51 proposals seeking more than $21.1 million in new funding. The September awards continue 32 previously funded projects and add 7 new ones, including work at seven public universities. Delegate Briana Sewell, vice chair and acting Grants Committee chair, emphasized evidence-based approaches tailored to different community needs.

The Virginia Department of Health is slated for roughly $2.4 million across comprehensive harm reduction, local opioid-use-disorder coordinators, overdose review teams and supports for pregnant women, with related lines boosting naloxone infrastructure. The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth would receive $1.84 million for statewide fentanyl messaging and expanded “Dangers of Fentanyl” curriculum access.

New awards highlighted by OAA include $62,665 to the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center for simulation-based first-responder training; $267,563.70 to Virginia Commonwealth University for HARBOR, pairing peer recovery specialists with immersive virtual-reality recovery support; and Virginia Tech grants of $115,499 for recovery-housing technical assistance and $93,238 to expand neuroscience-based prevention education.

Department of Corrections funding continues medication-assisted treatment and naloxone distribution for probationers, while the Supreme Court of Virginia’s statewide drug-testing contract and Indigent Defense Commission re-entry recovery specialists underscore the justice-system lane. Education and higher-ed awards range from recovery schools technical assistance to campus recovery communities at multiple universities.

OAA funding originates from Virginia’s share of national settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors and related companies. The General Assembly created the authority in 2021 to direct dollars toward abatement rather than unrelated budget holes. Awards are made one year at a time because settlement payments arrive annually; competitive projects may seek up to four one-year renewals if they stay compliant and show progress.

That one-year rhythm creates both flexibility and uncertainty. Agencies can adjust after measuring outcomes, but programs that rely on peer specialists or campus counselors need continuity planning so staff are not hired into cliff edges. Carryforward authority for some prior awards softens the cliff without abandoning annual accountability.

Geographic equity remains a live issue. Southwest Virginia’s first-responder simulation award and Russell County-area needs differ from urban harm-reduction models in Richmond or Northern Virginia campus recovery programs. OAA’s statewide agency approach is meant to seed capacity that localities and CSBs can connect to; success depends on whether those handoffs actually occur.

For families touched by fentanyl, the visible pieces are naloxone access, youth messaging and treatment navigation. For policymakers, the visible piece is whether settlement dollars stay targeted. Publishing project-level amounts, as OAA did in its agency table, helps reporters and advocates track whether money follows evidence.

Universities appear prominently because campuses concentrate young adults at risk and can host peer-recovery infrastructure. VCU’s HARBOR pilot and Virginia Tech’s recovery-housing assessment will be watched for whether virtual tools and housing navigation reduce relapse and overdose — outcomes that should be reported publicly at renewal time.

Local governments that receive separate OAA local awards should map how state-agency projects intersect with their CSB waitlists and jail reentry plans. Duplication wastes settlement resources; gaps cost lives. The Sept. 1 package is large enough that coordination meetings are not optional bureaucracy.

Critics sometimes argue settlement spending is too slow or too diffuse. The 51-proposal competition and partial funding of a $21 million request show demand still outstrips annual new dollars. Prioritization toward harm reduction, naloxone, youth prevention and corrections treatment reflects board judgments that will be debated every grant cycle.

Virginians can follow voaa.us for award details and performance expectations. The $12.3 million state-agency round is not the end of abatement work, but it is a concrete mid-2026 marker of how settlement cash is being converted into programs with names, numbers and renewal tests.

Email the Russell County Board/Council:
Andrew Hensley, andrew.hensley@russellcountyva.us,
Lou Ann Wallace, lou.wallace@russellcountyva.us,
Tara Dye, tara.dye@russellcountyva.us,
David Eaton, david.eaton@russellcountyva.us,
Steve Breeding, steve.breeding@russellcountyva.us,
Rebecca Dye, rebecca.dye@russellcountyva.us,
Nathan Kiser, nathan.kiser@russellcountyva.us,

Email the Russell County School Board:
Cynthia Compton,
Christy Perkins,
Tim Ball,
Jonathan Eaton,
Linda Garrett,
Bob Gibson,
Kip Parsons,