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Hopewell joins multi-jurisdictional opioid response grant application for mobile peer recovery unit
Summary
Hopewell staff and regional partners described a cooperative grant application to the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to fund mobile peer recovery specialists responding within 48–72 hours to overdose calls; council will consider formal action at a future meeting after staff files the application.
James Gaston, the city’s deputy city manager, told the council that Hopewell and several neighboring localities are preparing a cooperative grant application to the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to fund a mobile response unit.
“We have to come together and produce a grant application before April 2025,” Gaston said, asking council to consider the request and noting that partners were present to answer questions.
Susan Fierro, Commonwealth’s Attorney for Prince George County, described the proposed program as a certified peer recovery specialist who would follow up on overdose calls within 48 to 72 hours, provide harm-reduction supplies and referrals, and try to connect people to treatment. Fierro said the cooperative application would seek awards that, if granted, would fund the project for five years and carry through 2030.
Denise Woff of the Riverside Criminal Justice Agency, staff to the Community Criminal Justice Board, said the cooperative includes Prince George, Surry, Dinwiddie, Sussex and Hopewell. She told council the application to the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority is due April 1, 2025, and that participating localities must demonstrate direct-distribution funds have been used before applying for certain cooperative or “gold standard” awards.
Speakers clarified funding mechanics: direct distributions from opioid settlements go to individual localities and are separate from the cooperative application pool. Fierro and Woff said the cooperative funds (individual awards and the gold-standard incentive) are available only through a joint application and that localities must show they have used their direct funds before taking some cooperative awards.
Officials said Prince George (District 19 in the presentation) would supervise the certified peer specialist positions, which the partners currently envision as one full-time specialist — possibly two — who would operate across participating jurisdictions. Staff acknowledged local differences in how direct funds have already been committed; some partner localities have already spent direct payments on local programs, others have less flexibility.
Councilors asked about staffing, sustainability and whether other nearby jurisdictions were doing similar work. Gaston and Fierro pointed to examples in Chesterfield, Petersburg and other counties that have used opioid-abatement awards for mobile response or peer programs. Fierro said the gold-standard award size is determined by the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority using criteria that include overdose counts in jurisdictions.
No final vote was taken. Council agreed to take up official action on the cooperative application at a future regular meeting after staff files application materials and returns with any required local commitments.
