Waynesboro staff outline regional opioid‑abatement grants and plans; $640,000 awarded to schools, $5.7M crisis‑center application planned
Loading...
Summary
City staff reported on a regional opioid‑abatement planning process that secured $640,000 for Waynesboro Public Schools' River Ridge Learning Center and supports a roughly $5.7 million application by Valley Community Services Board for a regional crisis receiving and detoxification center in Fishersville.
City staff updated the Waynesboro City Council on regional opioid‑abatement activity on the September 2026 meeting, describing a multi‑jurisdiction needs assessment and grant‑application process covering Staunton, Augusta County and Waynesboro.
Mr. Ham said the three localities undertook community surveys and stakeholder meetings in 2023–24 and used a shared portal to submit grant applications. He noted Waynesboro Public Schools successfully drew down $640,000 in opioid‑abatement funds to support programming at the River Ridge Learning Center. The Valley Community Services Board plans to apply for approximately $5,700,000 to help construct a crisis receiving and detoxification center in Fishersville, Mr. Ham said.
Mr. Ham described program delays tied to hiring challenges for key positions (a substance‑abuse coordinator for the regional Office on Youth and a nurse navigator for the Department of Health mobile clinic). He said the city, as the portal operator for some grant applications, must be prepared to execute memoranda of understanding with neighboring localities to share financial responsibility in the unlikely event a recipient agency does not operate a facility as proposed.
Mr. Ham also described a review committee that received four submittals and recommended funding two agencies: Blue Ridge Legal Services (to hire an attorney to serve homeless residents’ civil legal needs) and Strengthen Peers (to expand naloxone access, harm‑reduction services and warm handoffs). He emphasized that the city had not committed local funds to awards at the time of the report and that staff would return with updates before state awards were finalized.
Why it matters: The regional grants and potential construction of a crisis receiving center could expand treatment and harm‑reduction capacity across the region, while the city's role as portal operator carries conditional obligations that the city plans to mitigate via interlocal MOUs.
What happens next: Staff said they expect to return to council with updates before state awards are finalized and before any city financial commitments are made.
