The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a private non-profit formed to distribute $236 million to counties across the state. The organization received this money from pharmaceutical companies found liable for their role in spurring on the opioid epidemic.
The organization, created in December 2021, received payments from 15 different lawsuits settled between 2023 and 2025, according to the OneOhio Recovery Foundation website. The lawsuits included companies like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and more.
The money was split in three ways, with 55% of it going to the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, 30% going directly to cities, counties, villages and townships in Ohio, and 15% of it going to the state. The funds are aimed at supporting prevention, treatment and recovery projects.
Ohio, particularly the Appalachian portion of the state, is no stranger to the opioid epidemic. According to 2017 data from the National Library of Medicine, Ohio was ranked second in the country for drug overdose deaths and opioid related overdose deaths.
Berkeley Franz, professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University, discussed why the Ohio Appalachian region has historically experienced high rates of opioid usage.
“A lot of people agree that it was due to pharmaceutical companies heavily marketing prescription opioids in this area,” Franz said. “Both because there were a lot of people living with chronic pain due to manufacturing jobs and other just sort of chronic conditions, and also because there were a lot of social vulnerabilities that made people more willing to use opioid medications.”
OneOhio separated parts of the state into 19 different regions, offering each the opportunity to come forward with proposals. Sarah Anstine, director of partnership and outreach at the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, discussed why the model was chosen and how it is beneficial.
“The OneOhio Recovery Foundation's regional model ensures local voices and expertise guide decision-making, and the focus on evidence-based practices, transparency and accountability helps ensure transformative outcomes,” Anstine wrote in an email.
Cycle 1 of the funding dispersed over $45 million to more than 240 projects in Ohio, according to a data chart.
In Athens, the Boys and Girls Club of Ohio received $77,000 for prevention programming, according to the OneOhio Recovery website. Other counties in the Southeast Ohio region, such as Vinton County and Gallia County, also received money for different programs.
“In the first evaluation reporting process, which began last summer, we’ve already heard incredible success stories from grantees across the state,” Anstine wrote in an email. “Early outcomes show that this funding is helping communities expand access to treatment, strengthen recovery services, and connect more individuals with the support they need.”
Now, Cycle 2 is aiming to distribute $45.7 million to more projects across the state. The grant inquiry timeline closed February 11.
One of the programs that was seen in the first round of funding is the implementation of school-based programs to teach and inform about drug use and abuse. Melinda Ford, assistant clinical professor of family medicine at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, expressed her excitement regarding those programs.
“I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes with prevention, with school-based programs,” Ford said. “Because that's really where I see we're going to make a sizable dent in getting out of the whole opioid use disorder problem.”
Ford mentioned the effectiveness of similar school-based programs conducted after tobacco settlements were made in the early 2000s. According to the National Library of Medicine, those types of programs are believed to be able to reduce smoking onset by 25% to 30%.
Ford mentioned another potential way to combat potential future drug usage, by building a strong sense of community to uplift people, and providing children the opportunity to participate in fun, healthy and free activities.
She discussed how Southeast Ohio would have to grapple with that, given poor infrastructure and a lack of transportation options.
“It’s going to the communities where the families are, would probably be the most effective,” Ford said. “So setting up like a road show kind of thing, getting as close as possible to the people we want to help, as opposed to expecting them to be able to come to us.”
Anstine reflected on the program and its importance in helping Ohio communities bounce back from the effects of the opioid epidemic.
“The opioid epidemic has claimed far too many lives, and the weight of that loss fuels the Foundation’s mission to heal our state and prevent this crisis from repeating,” Anstine wrote in an email. “The Foundation is proud to have invested $45 million through our first grantmaking round, and with the second grant cycle now underway, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure every dollar is directed with care and intention to help Ohioans heal and recover.”
