Washington County adopts opioid advisory committee after heated public comments on fund oversight

The Washington County Board of Commissioners on a unanimous roll call adopted Resolution No. 16 of 2025 to establish an opioid advisory committee to evaluate and recommend grants from opioid settlement funds distributed to the county by the Pennsylvania Opioid Abatement Trust Fund.

Public commenters urged the board to redesign the governance structure for opioid dollars so it includes people with lived experience, family members, treatment experts and front-line providers. "You are being asked to vote on whether to establish an opioid settlement review board whose members are appointed entirely by this commissioner board," Laura Dieterle, director of clinical and case management services at Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission, told commissioners, arguing the proposed structure raised "serious concerns about governance, representation, and public trust." She said, according to the Pennsylvania Opioid Abatement Trust, roughly $1,000,000 has already been awarded to programs that may not fit allowable uses and that about $900,000 is under review for potential noncompliance, remarks she presented as the basis for greater transparency and broader representation.

Speakers with recovery organizations and providers described both successful local programs and frustrations with prior funding rounds. Dr. Joey Pagano, vice president of Club Serenity, said his organization submitted four opioid-settlement proposals compliant with Exhibit E but received no funding and that no explanation was provided. "When funds sit unused or diverted without accountability, the cost is measured in human lives," Pagano said, urging decisions guided by "integrity and the voices of those most affected."

Chief Clark introduced the resolution as a formal mechanism for evaluating and recommending awards from the county's opioid settlement allocation from the state trust. The text moved by the county stated the committee would be established to "evaluate and recommend the awarding of grants to opioid remediation applicants from the opioid settlement funds distributed to Washington County by the Pennsylvania Opioid Trust Fund." Commissioners moved, seconded and adopted the resolution by roll call (see actions). The resolution text in the meeting packet and the minutes state the advisory committee’s membership will be appointed by the Board of Commissioners.

Supporters framed the committee as a vehicle to organize grant review and accelerate program awards; critics in public comment pushed for mandatory inclusion of community-based providers and people with lived experience, and for oversight measures to prevent awards that do not align with the trust's allowable strategies.

The board did not, during the meeting's public record, adopt membership rules or a charter that would constrain the commissioners' appointment authority; those procedural details will be resolved in later actions or in the committee's organizing documents. The resolution directs county staff and counsel to proceed with implementation steps.

The vote concludes the item for this meeting; the county will publish committee appointments and any follow-up procedural documents in subsequent board materials.