Ohio governor awards $1.2M in grants to help prevent overdoses in jails

The funds will support full-time addiction counselors and withdrawal medications, marking the first portion of $60 million in opioid settlement money allocated to Ohio jails

April 03, 2025 01:34 PM

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has allocated $1.2 million in grants to jails throughout the state to help reduce drug overdoses for incarcerated people. The grants will fund addiction counselors and supplies to help people experiencing withdrawal.

By Lucas Daprile
cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has awarded $1.2 million in grants to fight drug overdoses in county jails.

The money, which will fund full-time addiction counselors and medications for people experiencing opioid withdrawal, is the first batch of $60 million in opioid settlement dollars that’s being set aside for jails, Yost said in a statement.

“The opioid crisis thrust county jails into the role of de facto addiction-treatment facilities, placing an unfunded burden on Ohio’s sheriffs,” Yost said. “These grants will provide relief to our jails as they manage the added responsibility of treating substance abuse.”

Drug overdoses are one of the leading causes of death in jails throughout the country, according to a peer-reviewed study in Health Affairs in 2023.

In 2021, Ohio leaders settled a lawsuit with opioid distributors Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, as well as drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, for $808 million to be paid over 18 years.

This $808 million is separate from the $651 million opioid settlement that’s in jeopardy after an appellate court ruled in favor of CVS Health, Walgreens Boot Alliance and Walmart in a different lawsuit.

Sheriff’s departments interested in seeking the grants can apply through Dec. 1 . Yost plans to offer $20 million in grants per year until 2027, the application says.

The grants cannot be used to replace existing funding for inmate addiction services, according to the grant application.

Eight counties received grants through the first round. Those are:

Trumbull: $250,000.
Richland: $250,000.
Summit: $187,200.
Erie: $177,516.
Washington: $144,470.
Ashland: $144,788.
Wyandot: $95,252.
Medina: $50,000.

Looking to navigate the complexities of grants funding? Lexipol is your go-to resource for state-specific, fully-developed grants services that can help fund your needs. Find out more about our grants services here.

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