The Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Council serves as Roane County’s community-led group guiding how settlement dollars are used to address the opioid crisis. By bringing together local leaders in health, education, law enforcement, and recovery, the Council ensures resources are directed where they will make the greatest impact. Its work focuses on long-term solutions that strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery across the county.
The Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Council was created by Roane County in April 2023 under the leadership of County Executive Wade Creswell and the Roane County Commission. The Council was established to ensure that opioid settlement funds are used responsibly and strategically to reduce overdoses and strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery services. It provides community-led, transparent oversight and brings together leaders from across Roane County to guide their work.
The ultimate goal of the Advisory Council is to save lives and strengthen communities in Roane County. By investing in prevention, treatment, and recovery, the Council seeks to reduce overdose deaths, lessen the impact of trauma on children and families, expand access to mental health and substance use treatment, and build stronger prevention and recovery supports throughout the county.
The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from many different sectors of the community. Members include individuals from county government and public health, Roane Medical Center and other healthcare providers, Roane County Schools through Coordinated School Health, and law enforcement and criminal justice. In addition, the Council works alongside leaders from prevention coalitions, treatment providers, harm reduction programs, and recovery organizations. This diverse structure ensures that decisions reflect the needs and perspectives of the entire community.
The Advisory Council has earned significant recognition for its strategic and community-driven approach. In September 2024, the Council received the “Award for Excellence in the Application of the Opioid Litigation Principles”, honoring its use of evidence-based planning, youth prevention focus, transparent decision-making, and equity considerations. This award, crafted by a coalition of organizations and faculty from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, highlights Roane’s best-in-class execution of national settlement funds.
Additionally, Roane County’s innovative model, featuring the use of asset mapping and cross-sector collaboration, was noted by public policy experts as “a national award for following best practices to allocate settlement dollars”. More impressively, by late 2024, these efforts helped facilitate the hiring of key community-serving roles such as school-based trauma specialists as well as hospital and community navigators, resulting in a 48% reduction in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024.
Projects supported through the opioid settlement funds must align with Roane County’s abatement strategies. These strategies focus on prevention, including youth programs, drug take-back initiatives, education, and stigma reduction. Harm reduction strategies are also a priority, such as overdose response efforts, naloxone distribution, and data tracking systems. Treatment-related projects may include medication-assisted treatment, counseling, telehealth expansion, and jail-based care. Recovery support is equally important, with funding available for peer support networks, transitional housing, workforce readiness programs, and family-centered services.
Applications are open to nonprofit organizations based in Roane County that hold 501(c)(3) status, as well as county government entities such as schools, public health, and law enforcement agencies. To be considered, projects must serve residents of Roane County and demonstrate alignment with the strategies approved by the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council. Applications for Opioid Settlement Funding will be accepted from March 1 through March 31 on an annual basis.
Community Impact Grants are available throughout the year as funds allow. Applications can be submitted at any time but will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. Community Impact Grants are for special programs falling under the approved remediation strategies for projects with expenses of $5,000 or less.
The Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Council was created by Roane County in April 2023 under the leadership of County Executive Wade Creswell and the Roane County Commission. The Council was established to ensure that opioid settlement funds are used responsibly and strategically to reduce overdoses and strengthen prevention, treatment, and recovery services. It provides community-led, transparent oversight and brings together leaders from across Roane County to guide this important work.
The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from many different sectors of the community. Members include individuals from county government and public health, Roane Medical Center and other healthcare providers, Roane County Schools through Coordinated School Health, and law enforcement and criminal justice. In addition, the Council works alongside leaders from prevention coalitions, treatment providers, harm reduction programs, and recovery organizations. This diverse structure ensures that decisions reflect the needs and perspectives of the entire community.
The Advisory Council has earned significant recognition for its strategic and community-driven approach. In September 2024, the Council received the “Award for Excellence in the Application of the Opioid Litigation Principles”, honoring its use of evidence-based planning, youth prevention focus, transparent decision-making, and equity considerations. This award, crafted by a coalition of organizations and faculty from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, highlights Roane’s best-in-class execution of national settlement funds.
Additionally, Roane County’s innovative model, featuring the use of asset mapping and cross-sector collaboration, was noted by public policy experts as “a national award for following best practices to allocate settlement dollars”. More impressively, by late 2024, these efforts helped facilitate the hiring of key community-serving roles such as school-based trauma specialists as well as hospital and community navigators – resulting in a 48% reduction in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024.
Projects supported through the opioid settlement funds must align with Roane County’s abatement strategies. These strategies focus on prevention, including youth programs, drug take-back initiatives, education, and stigma reduction. Harm reduction strategies are also a priority, such as overdose response efforts, naloxone distribution, and data tracking systems. Treatment-related projects may include medication-assisted treatment, counseling, telehealth expansion, and jail-based care. Recovery support is equally important, with funding available for peer support networks, transitional housing, workforce readiness programs, and family-centered services.
Applications are open to nonprofit organizations based in Roane County that hold 501(c)(3) status, as well as county government entities such as schools, public health, and law enforcement agencies. To be considered, projects must serve residents of Roane County and demonstrate alignment with the strategies approved by the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council. Applications for Opioid Settlement Funding will be accepted from March 1 through March 31 on an annual basis.
Community Impact Grants are available throughout the year as funds allow. Applications can be submitted at any time but will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. Community Impact Grants are for special programs falling under the approved remediation strategies for projects with expenses of $5,000 or less.
