Hamilton County and Cincinnati officials outline $3.9 million in opioid-settlement awards and joint grant process

Hamilton County and City of Cincinnati officials told the Public Safety and Governance Committee that a joint use of opioid‑settlement funds produced $3.9 million in two‑year grants to 14 local projects addressing treatment, recovery supports and prevention.

The presentation, led by Megan Guthrie of Hamilton County and Dr. Musman of the county health department, outlined how the city and county combined portions of their local settlement shares, described the competitive application process and said the University of Cincinnati will evaluate outcomes.

Why it matters: The officials said opioid overdose deaths contributed to life‑expectancy disparities across Cincinnati neighborhoods and that the settlement funds are intended for abatement strategies defined by the 1 Ohio process. County and city leaders described the joint process as a way to avoid duplicative funding and to maximize local impact.

Guthrie summarized the timeline and process the county used: filing survey results from the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition, developing priorities for treatment, recovery supports and prevention, doing a…