The committee voted to forward ordinance 2025-002 to City Council to accept $1,800,000 from the National Opioid Settlement Fund and appropriate the funds to the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services for opioid abatement and remediation strategies.

Mike Futula, the city’s policy advisor for opioid response coordination, described the funding source and allowed uses. He said the payments come from distributors and entities named in the settlements and are allowable under Exhibit E of the settlement documents. “These payments are from distributors, including Walgreens, Janssen, Allergen, Tiva, Walmart, CVS, and McKinsey,” Futula said. He said funds may be used for core strategies such as a jail medication-assisted treatment program and for ancillary strategies including peer recovery specialist programs and other treatment and recovery programs.

Futula said Richmond has had among the highest fatal overdose rates in the Commonwealth for recent years and that the city is pursuing both internal programs and grant opportunities such as the Opioid Abatement Authority targeted overdose prevention grant. The committee discussed community integration and neighborhood-level strategies; Futula said the Richmond Opioid Task Force meets monthly and the city plans community-focused prevention, harm reduction and treatment efforts targeted to populations at highest risk.

The committee held a public hearing with no speakers and voted to forward the ordinance to council with a recommendation to approve. Vice Chair Jones moved the motion; Chair Robertson seconded. The clerk recorded Vice Chair Jones and Chair Robertson voting aye.