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Henderson County outlines $16.68 million opioid settlement plan, highlights recovery court results
Summary
Henderson County officials presented a multi‑year plan to use $16,681,693 in opioid settlement funds through 2038 to expand treatment, recovery supports and prevention; leaders highlighted the county‑funded Adult Recovery Court and community outreach events.
Henderson County officials on Jan. 20 presented an update on the county's opioid settlement funding and how the money will be used to expand treatment and recovery supports.
Jodi Grabowski, director of the county Strategic Behavioral Health Department, told the Local Government Committee for Cooperative Action that Henderson County will receive $16,681,693 from settlement payments between 2022 and 2038. She said the funds are governed by the North Carolina Memorandum of Agreement and that all expenditures must be authorized by the Henderson County Board of Commissioners and are publicly reported on CORE‑NC (ncopioidsettlement.org).
The county plans to use settlement dollars to fund twelve prioritized strategies from its strategic plan, Grabowski said. Those include fully funding the Adult Recovery Court, hiring peer support specialists who will also support the health department and social services, expanding recovery housing, supporting a co‑response PORT (police‑officer response team) position and funding reentry services. Grabowski identified local partners involved in implementation, including Hope Coalition, REAL Academy and Blue Ridge Health.
The presentation cited early program outcomes: Henderson County became the first county in North Carolina to use settlement funds to fully fund its Recovery Court. Grabowski described a Recovery Court graduate who, over 19 months, worked full time, completed more than 150 hours of treatment, attended 45 court hearings, performed more than 50 hours of service work and had her driver's license restored. At the one‑year mark the slide noted a small ARC cohort of 12 participants who were working, paying restitution and child support, no longer involved with DSS, and not incarcerated.
Grabowski also reviewed prevention and awareness efforts under Exhibit B of the county plan: media campaigns using the 'One Pill Can Kill' theme, youth prevention camps, school alternatives to suspension and public events such as Overdose Awareness Day, the WNC Recovery Rally and local 'Save a Life' events. She noted county surveys showing increases in self‑reported excessive alcohol use from 9.9% in 2018 to about 22.0% in 2024 and warned about the dangers of counterfeit pills and vaping products.
Looking ahead, Grabowski said the department will continue coordination with EMS community paramedics, pursue RFQs for strategy implementation, braid peer support work with other funded efforts and add staff positions including an Intervention Coordinator and a psych nurse for the detention center funded through maintenance‑of‑effort planning. Reporting required by the settlement was submitted on Sept. 26, 2025, she told the committee.
Grabowski closed by directing stakeholders to the department webpage and providing contact information for follow‑up.
Next steps: the Board of Commissioners must authorize specific expenditures before funds are disbursed; county staff will continue implementation and public reporting.
