April 10, 2023 - OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUND BOARD HOLDS PUBLIC MEETING
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 its monthly public meeting on April 10, 2024, at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce offices in Columbus.
Opening the meeting, Chair Don Mason (Region 12) noted the opening of the Foundation’s first-ever application process on April 2, set to award as much as $51 million dollars this year to support addiction prevention and recovery efforts across the state.
“The grant application window is open through May 3 and we encourage all interested parties to access the OneOhio Grant Portal to submit their applications, as well as to access services and special events to assist them through the application process or simply to track our progress,” Mason said. “Our goal is to make this process fully accessible and transparent in order to encourage the widest possible participation from every corner of Ohio, while also ensuring the necessary steps are taken across our OneOhio Regions to avoid conflicts of interest in the review process.”
Mason also introduced Tom Whiston, recently appointed to replace Jeff Fix as the Board’s Region 18 representative, and informed the board that Senator Terry Johnson was recently selected to replace Senator Rob McColley as the appointee of the Ohio Senate President.
As a first order of business, the Foundation Board honored Ohioans impacted by addiction by hearing a moving story from Greta Mayer about Angela Rahman, a member of the Mental Health Recovery Board of Warren and Clinton counties, who lost her daughter, Amber, to an overdose seven years ago. In sharing her story, Angela said everyone deserves help and opportunities to recover, regardless of how many stints in rehab it takes, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect, because where there is life there is always hope.
Board members then:
Received a report from the Executive Committee, including an update from Andrew Ferris, the Foundation’s legal counsel, regarding an updated conflict-of-interest policy developed to provide guidance to the Foundation’s Board of Directors to identify and mitigate potential conflicts in the grant funding process. The Executive Committee also provided an update on the process to nominate and appoint Board officers at the annual meeting in May, which is led by the Foundation’s Nominating Committee.
Received an update from the Grant Oversight Committee on a new Grants Policy, which was unanimously approved by the Board. Executive Director Alisha Nelson added to the report by first welcoming new Foundation staff members, Laura Spires and Andy Jesson, who now serve as the grants manager and the partnership and outreach associate, respectively. Nelson then provided an update on the Foundation’s 2024 Regional Grant Cycle and the application process now open and closing on May 3. Executive Director Nelson also highlighted upcoming events to support grant applicants, including a second Grant Applicant Training webinar on April 12 and an Evidence Base Impact Academy webinar scheduled for April 15.
Received a report from the Personnel Committee on their work to support the development of a Foundation employee handbook. Additionally, the committee reviewed ongoing discussions to ensure the Foundation has the tools in place to operate as a recovery-friendly workplace.
Received and approved an investment report from Jim Quinn, the Foundation’s finance manager.
The board’s annual meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at the offices of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.
