Very significant funding: Local organizations receive $718,280 in additional opioid settlement funds

State officials have awarded $718,280 to three organizations that plan to undertake projects that officials say will significantly expand substance abuse recovery housing in Bartholomew County.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction announced the grant awards Tuesday just a few months after state officials announced that they would make an additional $25 million of Indiana’s share of nationwide opioid settlements available to local governments through a one-time matching grant.

In total, local officials expect that the funding will result in 30 to 35 level-three and level-four recovery beds in Bartholomew County, said Sherri Jewett, executive director of the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, or ASAP.

“It’s very significant in that (the grant funding) allows us to provide some much-needed services with revenue from the state, and it allows our county’s opioid settlement funds to go even further than what we had originally anticipated,” Jewett said.

Bridge to Dove received $324,000 to purchase a property in Columbus to set up a 15-bed, level-four recovery house for women. The money also will be used to help cover the costs of interior furnishings for the home.

Level-four facilities provide the highest level of support to people who are going through recovery and offer, among other things, medical care and employ licensed clinical social workers. Higher-level homes provide more ongoing support for residences than lower-level homes, officials said.

Mark Teike, chairman of the board at Bridge to Dove, said he is “thrilled” about the grant funding. Currently, the organization is searching for a property for the recovery residence, and Teike said he tentatively anticipates opening a 6,500 to 7,000 square-foot facility in 18 to 24 months.

“That money will make a significant dent in helping make (the project) happen,” Teike said. “…We currently have no level-four provider in Bartholomew County. We do have levels one, two and three, but no level four.”

“That gap exists in our community,” Teike added. “…The other level facilities that we have in our community are doing good work. This just supplements what we’re already doing.”

In addition, Centerstone received $262,000 to provide start-up funding for a level-three transitional housing facility in the county and help cover the costs of interior furnishings.

Jennifer Fillmore, director of substance use disorder residential and specialized services, said she expects the facility to have eight beds for men.

“We have a current recovery house in Columbus, and we stay full all the time,” Fillmore said. “…So, we decided that, ‘yeah, we could definitely use another eight-bed recovery house.’”

Volunteers of America received $132,280 to expand an existing level-two women’s recovery housing facility into a level-three facility that includes case management for women to develop a plan for recovery and permanent housing.

Voice of America operates the Fresh Start Recovery Center in downtown Columbus.

The grant funding comes from Indiana’s share of nationwide settlements with a major pharmaceutical manufacturer and the nation’s three largest drug distributors over their roles in the opioid addiction crisis.

The settlements resolved lawsuits that alleged that the companies helped fuel the opioid crisis, including downplaying the risk of addition to prescription opioid pain medications, among other claims.

Under the terms of the settlements, Johnson & Johnson has nine years to pay its $5 billion share, including up to $3.7 billion during the first three years. The distributors — AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — agreed to pay their combined $21 billion over 18 years.

In July, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office announced that Indiana would receive $507 million as part of a multi-state agreement. The amount sent to each state under the opioid settlement depends on a formula that takes into account the severity of the crisis and the population.

Local governments in Bartholomew County will collectively receive a total of $3.2 million through 2038 as part of the settlements, including $3 million for Bartholomew County, $194,011 for the city of Columbus and $9,343 for the town of Hope, according to the attorney general’s office.

Any funds that the local officials receive through the one-time matching grant would be in addition to the local community’s individual share of the opioid settlement.

Organizations in some neighboring counties also received additional opioid settlement funding through the grant program, state records show.

Schneck Medical Center in Seymour received $600,000 to support recovery and harm reduction services and provide resources to incarcerated individuals in Jackson County.

Jennings County also received $84,863 to employ a program coordinator who can connect individuals to services across the care continuum.

While Bartholomew County didn’t get all of the $950,000 in grant funding that organizations requested, Jewett said that she anticipates a new round of grant funding from the state sometime this summer.

“It is really a great opportunity for the community to have these additional recovery residences,” Jewett said.

“What we didn’t get funded in this first round we will be ready to apply for … in the next round, which (state officials) are anticipating in July or August,” Jewett added.