County Board Reviews Opioid Fund Grants with Upstream Prevention Director Kathleen Ratcliffe

The Opioid Advisory Meeting held on August 1, 2025, in Johnson County, Indiana, focused on the allocation of opioid settlement funds received from federal lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies. The meeting brought together various stakeholders from across the county to discuss the distribution of these funds and hear reports from organizations that have previously received grants.

The meeting began with an overview of the purpose of the advisory board, which is to manage the opioid funds and ensure they are used effectively to combat the opioid crisis. The board emphasized that no decisions would be made during this meeting; instead, discussions would be informal, with final decisions to be presented to the full commissioner board later.

Kathleen Ratcliffe, the executive director of Upstream Prevention, was one of the first speakers. She highlighted her organization’s mission to implement systems-level changes that promote public health. Ratcliffe expressed gratitude for the opportunity to present and shared her organization’s request for funding to support their initiatives aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic.

The meeting served as a platform for various organizations to outline their needs and proposals for future funding cycles, indicating a collaborative effort to tackle the ongoing challenges posed by opioid misuse in the community. The discussions underscored the importance of community involvement and the need for strategic use of the settlement funds to create lasting change.

As the meeting concluded, participants were reminded that further discussions and decisions would take place in future sessions, reinforcing the ongoing commitment to addressing the opioid crisis in Johnson County.