Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has expressed approval for the recent efforts of Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council (OAC) in distributing its first set of community grants. These grants, totaling $80,936,057, are aimed at addressing opioid addiction across the state and will support various programs for up to three years.
"The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is proud to secure over eighty million dollars in settlement funds to support our state’s efforts combating the opioid epidemic," stated Attorney General Skrmetti. "Our team has been working hard on this for years, and when all is said and done, we will have delivered over a billion dollars in settlement funds. We are grateful for the work of Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council in identifying the best ways to use the settlement funds and will continue fighting to bring accountability to the companies that contributed to the opioid epidemic."
The funding stems from settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and marketers secured by Skrmetti's office. Organizations statewide submitted 396 proposals during last fall's application period. The OAC staff reviewed these submissions and approved 116 grants at a meeting held on March 18 in Farragut.
During prior meetings, the Council allocated funding percentages across six strategies: Treatment ($32,775,972), Recovery Support ($18,970,500), Primary Prevention ($12,201,837), Education and Training ($8,173,701), Harm Reduction ($8,061,539), and Research and Evaluation ($752,508).
The council approved projects designed by 85 awardees; 30 of these projects aim for statewide impact. Approximately $5.7 million is designated for capital projects.
Further information about Tennessee’s OAC can be found at TN.gov/oac.