New regional grant awards approved, OneOhio’s strategic roadmap for the future discussed at monthly meeting
Directors of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization charged with helping distribute Ohio’s opioid settlement funds to advance substance use prevention, treatment and recovery efforts, held their monthly public board meeting Sept. 11 at the State Library of Ohio in Columbus.
“As we continue the pressing work of approving the first-ever grant awards that will support Ohioans impacted by the opioid crisis, we must also keep an eye to the future,” said OneOhio Board Chair Don Mason. “There’s much more work to do, but today’s meeting sets OneOhio on a path forward to advance our mission of funding innovative, evidence-based programming and services to combat the addiction epidemic, while also promoting and advocating for the health and safety of Ohioans over the long term.”
New Grant Award Approvals
The September board meeting included an update on the grant application review process and progress made to date. Regional grant recommendations were then presented for full Board review, and the Board of Directors voted to authorize OneOhio staff to negotiate grant agreements for 29 funding applications totaling $3,590,926.55. Approvals by OneOhio Region are as follows:
• Region 5: Eight (8) applications totaling $1,088,756.92
• Region 8: Eight (8) applications totaling $1,444,239
• Region 16: Eight (8) applications totaling $656,586.63
• Region 17: Five (5) applications totaling $401,344.
More detailed information about funded projects will be publicly released and posted on the OneOhio website as grant agreements are finalized between the Foundation and grantees. Detailed grant award announcements will be made on a rolling basis and are expected to begin in October.
Strategic Planning & Future Funding Allocation Discussion
OneOhio Executive Director Alisha Nelson presented “Roadmap 2025: Mission & Vision,” which was developed in partnership with the Foundation’s ad hoc Strategic Planning Committee and seeks to guide Foundation activities in the coming year and beyond. OneOhio Finance Manager Jim Quinn then provided the Board with a sample funding allocation model, which was informed by the Audit and Finance Committee.
At its remaining meetings in 2024, the Board will continue to receive updates from OneOhio staff on the 2025 strategic planning process, seek to establish a standard funding allocation formula, and make budget-related decisions for the coming year.
Additional Board Updates & Actions
The Board also heard the following updates during the September meeting:
• Chair Don Mason welcomed three new members to the Board:
— Jonathan Lee and James White III were appointed by Governor Mike DeWine in August to replace former governor-appointed board members Jane Portman and Christopher Smitherman, whose terms ended in June; and,
— Alicia Bruce was recently appointed to represent Region 16, replacing Glenn Miller, who stepped down after nearly two years of service.
• Chair Mason announced that there will be a special virtual meeting of the OneOhio Board of Directors on Oct. 29 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will be used to review and approve remaining regional grant award recommendations.
• As we recognize National Recovery Month in September, Board Member Rachel Baker, PhD, RN, who is a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and a nurse researcher with TriHealth Health System in Cincinnati, presented this month’s mission moment, which highlighted the personal story of Tony Dible. After losing more than 10 years of his adolescent and young adult years to substance use disorder, Dible is now in long-term recovery and works as the overdose prevention coordinator for the Lucas County Health Department.
• Connie Luck of ConVista Public Affairs, the Foundation’s strategic communications adviser, provided an update on communication and media engagement efforts completed and underway for OneOhio.
• Audit & Finance Committee Chair Evan Kleymeyer and Finance Manager Jim Quinn presented the Foundation’s August financial reports, which were then approved by the Board.
• Board approved funding to support the OneOhio Public Education Plan. More information about the plan will be shared at future meetings.
The next public meeting of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s Board of Directors is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m. at the State Library of Ohio, 274 E. First Avenue, Columbus.
Members of the public may access video of all board meetings and related board documents at OneOhioFoundation.com/Meetings.
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation created under the leadership of Governor Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost, and other state and local leaders, with the mission advancing Ohio’s addiction prevention, treatment and recovery efforts now and into the future.
The Foundation is governed by a 29-member board from across Ohio and is funded by 55 percent of settlement funds that Ohio is receiving from the pharmaceutical industry as a consequence of its role in the national opioid epidemic. Funds support local efforts to prevent and combat addiction and are also invested to support those efforts for the long term. Visit OneOhioFoundation.com for more information.
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