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 local competitive grant round and keeping separate accounting for the city’s share. "It has been such a beautiful partnership," Guthrie said.

Dr. Musman, identified in the meeting as the county health commissioner, provided local overdose data and context. "In 2017, for Hamilton County, we had 570 overdoses that year," he said. "In 2024, we were down 51 percent to 277 overdose deaths. And from 2024 to 2025, from January to May, we're down about 30 percent in that same year‑to‑year comparison." He added that deaths are down overall but that substance use and mental‑health needs remain prevalent.

Officials said the county has received roughly $7.7 million to date from local shares and estimated the county’s long‑range allocation at about $26 million over 18 years, with the City of Cincinnati’s share at about $8.5 million. For 2025 the joint local awards totaled $3.9 million for two‑year projects; county staff said the combined local awards were made because settlement receipts arrive at variable times.

Applications and awards: Guthrie said the 2025 local process drew 31 applications requesting about $10.9 million; the grant review panel awarded 14 projects across treatment (5), recovery supports (5) and prevention (4). Examples the presenters listed included:

- First Step Home — $500,000 for treatment gap funding, anticipated to serve 385 women over two years. - Talbert House — $650,000 for a scribe center moving programs into Avondale, with an estimate of 800 people served over two years. - Serenity Recovery Housing — $240,000 capital funding, 70 individuals served in year one with capacity for 10 more in year two. - University of Cincinnati early‑intervention programming — just under $300,000 to screen and connect patients in emergency departments, with an estimated 890 screened and 464 connected to treatment over two years. - Recovery housing and peer‑support grants serving veterans, women, criminal‑justice‑involved individuals and youth prevention programs run by local nonprofits. Several grantees will report quarterly to county staff and twice‑yearly written evaluation reports will be produced by the University of Cincinnati, which will also perform site visits.

Guthrie and Musman said the county and city intend to repeat funding cycles when settlement dollars are available; the county described a goal of creating a more regular funding cadence but said specific timing depends on when settlement wires arrive and on decisions by city and county leadership. The presenters noted the 1 Ohio Recovery Foundation and a separate regional foundation allocate other settlement shares and that those streams have distinct application processes.

Committee members asked about future funding levels and program design. Council member Mark Jeffries asked how much would be needed to meet local needs; Guthrie said roughly doubling a $4 million annual local/regional share would substantially increase impact. Committee members also asked about which schools would receive prevention programming; presenters said specifics will be provided as programs engage school districts and that historically Taft, Hughes and Gamble had participated in prevention work.

The committee agreed to file the presentation. The presenters said they will return with six‑month and other evaluation updates once grantee reporting and university evaluation results are available.