Op-Ed By Board Vice Chairman Don Mason
Read below an excerpt from OneOhio Recovery Foundation board vice chairman Don Mason's recent op-ed in the Zanesville Times Recorder. You can read the full op-ed (here)
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation, with its open and consensus-driven plan for distributing those dollars, is committed to seeing every corner of Ohio – from our largest cities to the most rural townships – is positively impacted by their fair share of settlement dollars.
As a result, local governments in Region 12 (serving Coshocton, Muskingum, Guernsey, Perry, Morgan, Noble, Monroe and Washington counties) will receive much-needed funds to expand local efforts targeted at treatment, prevention and recovery. As vice chairman of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s Board of Directors, appointed to represent the eight Region 12 counties, I am committed to seeing that every settlement dollar is applied in ways that directly address, or work to prevent, the plague of opioid addiction and abuse, along with the many societal ills that weigh so heavily on our families, local resources and quality of life.
Under terms of the settlement, 30% of the $808 million is directly allocated by the state to local counties and municipalities (for example, the City of Zanesville receives nearly $12,000 annually for 18 years). Depending on its population, every Ohio county, city, village and township government receives its fair share (either more or less) over the same period. Another 15% of the settlement is allocated directly to the state.
The largest share – 55% or more than $440 million – will be administered by the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, a non-profit and non-government corporation established to ensure equal, transparent and consensus-driven distribution of recovery funding for local recovery, treatment and prevention efforts.
