County says opioid settlement will keep five recovery centers open; officials detail services and referrals

Kathy Durley, drug and alcohol administrator for Northampton County, told the County Council on June 5, 2025, that opioid settlement funds are being used to sustain five recovery centers across the county and to support services that connect people leaving treatment with long-term recovery supports.

Durley said the county funds five recovery centers—in Northampton, Bangor, Easton and two in Bethlehem (the Hope Center and the OASIS)—and that the goal is to use settlement dollars to maintain the centers for at least the next 18 years. Jana Morris, who runs Recovery Revolution and oversees the Clean Slate recovery center, described recovery centers as “low barrier entry and accessibility in the community,” saying they provide peer supports, drop-in services and connections to treatment and other resources: “The opposite of addiction is connection.”

Robin Chantos, who oversees staff and programs at the Hope Center and coordinates several recovery-center sites, told council that in the last reporting period approximately 1,020 people received treatment services connected through county programs; 293 of those were linked through the CATCH hospital-based warm-handoff program, and about 780 were connected via recovery centers. Chantos described a range of supports offered at centers, including certified recovery specialists (CRS), case management, employment services, housing assistance and community-integration activities such as tax assistance and clothing closets.

Officials said the recovery centers do not collect identifying names for meeting attendance counts and therefore report some figures as aggregate calls, walk-ins and meeting participation. The centers also work with hospital teams and with partners such as Penn Foundation and St. Luke’s to accept bedside referrals through CATCH. Durley said the county has reported program expenditures to the opioid settlement trust under the required Exhibit E reporting process.

Funding and reporting: Durley told council the county’s opioid settlement totals $11,000,000 distributed over 18 years and reviewed payments received to date: two payments in 2022 totaling a little over $1 million collectively, a 2023 payment of a little over $500,000, and a December 2024 payment of about $800,000. She said the county has spent the 2022–2023 funds and is working through 2024 allocations.

Discussion and follow-up: council members asked for a detailed funding breakdown by center; Durley said staff will provide line-item information after the meeting. Officials emphasized program coordination across treatment, housing and recovery centers and encouraged council members to visit local centers to see services and operations firsthand.