Powhatan adopts opioid-abatement plan; hires county coordinator to link people to treatment and supports

Powhatan County supervisors on Feb. 24 approved a local strategic plan that lays out how the county will use funds from national opioid litigation and state competitive grants to prevent overdose, expand recovery supports and coordinate services across justice, behavioral health and public‑health systems.

The plan — prepared for the county by Arlington‑based Rural Strategies — recommends using time‑limited regional competitive funds for two near‑term priorities: (1) a county coordinator to create cross‑agency referral and outreach systems, and (2) an outreach/peer position focused on connecting people to treatment and recovery services. Jordan Sheldon, hired as the county’s coordinator and embedded at the Community Services Board, told the board, “I’ve been in this position about 3 weeks, so we’re just getting started.”

The plan is meant to make Powhatan more competitive for larger state grants administered through the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority and to preserve the county’s long‑term direct allocation. Rural Strategies told the board that Powhatan’s direct allocation plus a “gold standard” incentive equates to roughly $737,000 over 18 years, while the regional competitive award the county captured is about $1.12 million over four years. The consultants recommended spending the regional, four‑year money first to build infrastructure and outreach, leaving the smaller direct allocation “in the bank” for later use.

Rural Strategies described the planning process used to produce the recommendations: seven steering‑committee meetings, one‑on‑one stakeholder interviews and a summer community survey that drew 132 responses. Survey takers prioritized family supports, prevention, recovery housing and treatment expansion. The plan’s steering committee included representatives from the sheriff’s office, the schools, the Commonwealth’s Attorney and health and probation services, along with family members and faith‑based groups.

County staff said the county already has filled the coordinator role and a CSB‑based peer outreach position under the regional award. The plan documents noted that regional funding requires multi‑locality partnerships and will expire unless spent during the award period; much of the board discussion focused on how quickly to spend regional monies and how to link those investments to longer‑term county funds.

The supervisors approved the plan as part of the consent agenda (Resolution R-2025-09). The roll‑call vote was unanimous: Supervisors McClung, Powers, Morrissette, Vice Chair Kenney and Chair Donati all voted aye.

Board members and presenters repeatedly emphasized coordination as the central gap the plan intends to fill. A Rural Strategies presenter said agencies sometimes buy the same supplies or run duplicate programs because they do not know what another agency is doing, and the coordinator role is intended to fix that. For now, the plan calls for using regional funds to staff the coordination and outreach roles, and to seek additional grant matches for housing and other supports.

Next steps listed in the plan are: (1) let the new coordinator inventory and connect existing services, (2) use the regional outreach staff to link individuals to services and (3) pursue additional regional and state grants for housing and justice‑involved supports. County staff and the consultants told the board they will return with specific program recommendations and budget items as Jordan’s outreach identifies service gaps.

Votes at a glance: Resolution R-2025-09, “Adopt opioid abatement settlement plan” — outcome: approved (roll call: McClung Aye; Powers Aye; Morrissette Aye; Kenney Aye; Donati Aye).