Attorney General—riefs rural working group on $880 million opioid funds, grant rounds and youth mental-health efforts

Representatives from the Colorado Attorney General—riefed the Rural Behavioral Health Working Group on how opioid-settlement dollars and related grants are being distributed across the state, and on the office nd its partners—fforts on youth mental health.

The office said Colorado is scheduled to receive $880,000,000 from opioid-related settlements through 2041. Staff described a multi-tier distribution and oversight structure that routes most funding to regional and local entities and reserves distinct portions for infrastructure and state administrative support. Officials also previewed a new infrastructure funding round expected to open in mid-October and said other grant opportunities will be posted on the office ashboard and newsletter.

Why it matters: Working-group members were told the settlement money is intended for long-term community-level responses to the opioid crisis, and the presentation emphasized transparency and a regional approach so rural communities can access funds.

The Attorney General ivision representatives said the state llocations are tracked on a public dashboard that shows regional priorities and spending. They said roughly 26 projects have so far received infrastructure awards totaling about $9.4 million across three rounds; staff said a fourth infrastructure round is planned. The presenters described separate state-administered and infrastructure funding streams with different eligibility rules and noted the infrastructure stream permits capital spending while the state-administered portion does not.

Officials described governance for the funds: local governments and regional opioid councils can control and decide local spending; a state portion is retained for administrative support. Staff emphasized regular reporting and a public dashboard so each dollar can be traced to a use or project.

The presentation also covered youth mental health. The Attorney General ivision staff described ongoing litigation and investigations focused on social-media platforms and product manufacturers that the office says affect young people nd funding streams that support prevention and services in schools and communities. Staff said the office is investigating TikTok and pursuing litigation involving Meta, and they said proceeds from litigation and settlements are distributed through grant programs supporting youth mental-health work.

The office said one recent recovery related to vaping/industry litigation will yield funds that the state can allocate to community programs; staff characterized that pot of funds as roughly $30 million to be directed to community-based prevention and services related to vaping (description came during the presentation).

Staff described growth in grantmaking: in the earlier fiscal year the office distributed nearly $2 million; the most recent distribution year approached $18 million, they said. Grants cover a wide set of topics beyond youth mental health, including opioid response, financial empowerment, housing revitalization, elder protection and domestic-violence services.

Officials also reviewed Safe2Tell Colorado, the anonymous reporting line and training program for schools and communities. Staff said Safe2Tell is available statewide and can route reports to schools, local responders or mental-health resources depending on the nature of a report. The office also described a student-ambassador program that hires high-school juniors and seniors to provide feedback and outreach to make Safe2Tell more culturally relevant and more visible in rural and Spanish-speaking communities.

Members of the working group asked about Spanish-language outreach and partnerships with local Hispanic-serving organizations. Office staff said they had bilingual outreach staff and named a staff member who convenes Spanish-language partners across the state; presenters offered to follow up directly to connect working-group members with those outreach contacts.

The office directed attendees to COAG.gov and said it will post funding-availability notices and contact points in the meeting chat and on its newsletter. Staff also invited working-group members to the state—ehavioral-health conference and to a Colorado summit on opioid funds and regional councils.

Ending: Presenters encouraged rural partners to sign up for the office newsletter, to check the public dashboard for region-specific information, and to contact the listed regional liaisons when the October grant round opens.