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Grants committee approves more than $900,000 in awards, including a $636,500 Virginia Beach package
Summary
The Opioid Abatement Authority Grants Committee approved city and county awards totaling just over $900,000, including $636,500 for multiple Virginia Beach projects (youth peer support, juvenile detention services, LEAD, schools interventions, social media campaign and Parks & Rec programming). Motions passed unanimously; one member recused on a Chesterfield item.
The Opioid Abatement Authority Grants Committee unanimously approved a slate of grant amendments and new individual distribution awards that staff said total just over $900,000 in new awards.
Charlie Lenum, director of operations, walked the committee through state agency carry‑forward amendments and a set of city and county applications. He said 68% of FY25 awardees had returned award packages and that staff continue to work with projects with outstanding documentation. He identified several amendments that would right‑size awards after performance periods ended.
Among the individual distribution awards, Virginia Beach requested six projects totaling $636,500. The package includes training for youth peer support specialists, a $75,000 opioid services program at the juvenile detention center providing licensed substance abuse counselors and assessments, a police‑led LEAD (Law Enforcement Against Drugs) program with outreach and a vehicle/trailer purchase for community events, online school‑based interventions through a vendor described as Third Millennium, and a $132,000 social media campaign focused on stigma reduction and harm reduction that will pair community health workers with youth ambassadors. Lenum said the parks and recreation programming will adapt Overdose Lifeline's youth curriculum for grades 6–12 and will include parent and community educator sessions.
Other approved items included a $72,850 individual distribution to expand Warren County's Raymond E. S. Meers Student Union program to serve teens across the county and a Lynchburg area (Roads to Recovery) eight‑bed withdrawal management program to serve up to 47 adults annually and provide step‑down ASAM 3.2 withdrawal management and wraparound services in coordination with Horizon Behavioral Health.
Committee members moved and seconded staff recommendations in sequence (state agency amendments, city/county amendments, new individual distribution awards). All motions passed by voice and were recorded as unanimous. Jim Holland asked that his recusal from the Chesterfield County item (item 5B) be noted in the minutes because he serves as chair of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors; the recusal was acknowledged and recorded.
Mr. McDow and staff noted the OA has funded the Right Center at Virginia Commonwealth University to develop a toolkit and provide technical assistance for local planning and that the Right Center can provide fee‑for‑service consulting to jurisdictions.
Staff said recipients would be notified in the next days and that the awards would be posted to grant recipients. The committee adjourned after noting the approvals and thanking staff.
