The Latest Updates: May 2023
Foundation Celebrates First Anniversary - Letter from Interim Executive Director Kathryn Whittington:
It’s been one year since the OneOhio Recovery Foundation and its governing Board began a thoughtful and deliberate process to build an institutional infrastructure for fulfilling our important mission. Now nearly complete, this framework will ensure success for the Foundation’s mandate to distribute more than $500 million in opioid settlement funds across the state over the next several years.
As a mother and grandmother whose family has been impacted by addiction, I know how much that work is needed at the grassroots level all across Ohio. Many of the Foundation’s board members have also been touched personally by the opioid epidemic and, like me, they have found our work with the Foundation to be fulfilling. Together, we are determined to see the OneOhio Recovery Foundation live up to the promise of its name.
Looking back at all that’s been accomplished since the Foundation board’s first meeting, I can point to these highlights:
• Established detailed policies for governance; transparency; finances and investment procedures; diversity, equity and inclusion; conflict of interest; records retention; whistleblowers; excess benefit transactions; and gift acceptance.
• Launched a website, social media accounts, and tools to effectively communicate with the public and foster transparency.
• Held monthly public board meetings to ensure that all the Foundation’s business, policy development, allocations and other decision making are conducted transparently and in accordance with established policies.
• Held more than 40 meetings with stakeholder groups representing addiction prevention, treatment and recovery, health, first responders and other related fields across the state.
• Finalized the Foundation’s grant-making policy, hired a director of grants management, and selected grant software to be used for the upcoming grant application, review, and distribution process.
• Hired an Interim Executive Director, an Interim Chief Financial Officer, additional support staff and contract services, and began an open process for selecting a permanent Executive Director.
• Established the Foundation’s expert panel policy and received more than 90 applications from Ohioans seeking to serve on the panel, which will provide guidance to the Board and members of its 19 regional boards as projects are considered for funding.
After a productive year of framework-building, and with the first of many settlement payments received in late March, the OneOhio Recovery Foundation is putting in place the tools we need to begin distributing funds.
I am grateful to our 29-member board, our staff, support services and all those across Ohio who have contributed to the Foundation’s successful first year. We look forward to your continued support and encouragement in the days ahead, when we will be putting settlement funds to their important and much-needed work.
-Kathryn Whittington
Board Member Video Messages:
Several OneOhio Recovery Foundation board members recorded short video messages to recognize the first year's accomplishments and speak with Ohioans about why the work they are doing will make a positive impact on our communities. Watch them below:
Keith Hochadel
Board Secretary & Region 6 Representative
Greta Mayer
Region 14 Representative
Tom Gregoire
Governor Statewide Appointee & Grant Committee Chair
Duane Piccirilli
Region 7 Representative
Helpful Resources:
We’ve launched a new section of our website where you can download fact sheets about the OneOhio Recovery Foundation and its mission.
As we begin our work together to support prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the state, we hope you find these resources helpful.
View and download our new fact sheets and other resources at: OneOhioFoundation.com/Resources
New Grant Policy Moves Foundation Forward:
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a step closer to accepting grant applications thanks to the recently approved Grant Policy, as well as the selection of a grant management software platform, AkoyaGO.
In late March, the Foundation received its first opioid settlement payments, which totaled more than $58 million. The board then approved allocations for the first round of funding at its April meeting, with more than $51 million allocated to the 19 OneOhio Regions (View current regional allocations here).
With settlement funds, a grant policy, and new grant software now in place, work continues to finalize the many processes necessary to begin receiving and evaluating grant applications. OneOhio grants will provide organizations across Ohio with new resources to support addiction relief, recovery and prevention efforts. Creating and approving the Grant Policy is a big step forward for the Foundation and its mission to effectively counter Ohio’s opioid epidemic.
The grant process will be guided by four groups:
• Regional Boards: The 19 regional boards will each establish priorities for receiving, evaluating and forwarding projects to the Foundation Board of Directors for review, approval and funding. Collaboration between regions is permitted and encouraged.
• Grant Oversight Committee: This group of 12 Foundation board members will further refine the process for grantmaking, with final recommendations submitted to the full Foundation board for approval. The Grant Oversight Committee, along with Foundation staff, will also oversee reporting on funded projects’ progress and impact.
• Expert Panel: Nine experts will consult with the Foundation’s Board of Directors and staff to help ensure proposed projects use evidence-based best practices and all funding requests comply with the approved purposes set forth in the OneOhio Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
• Board of Directors: The board will review and approve all grant proposals, both submitted by the 19 regions and submitted for statewide initiatives. As fiduciaries of the Foundation, board members must ensure all funded projects align with the abatement strategies outlined in the MOU and the total funding requested does not exceed board-approved allocations for each grant period.
Thinking about applying? Look for more information to come as the process and criteria continue to be refined. Visit OneOhioFoundation.com and sign up for updates on the homepage. Your feedback is welcome and invaluable.
Stakeholder Engagement Summary:
Over the past five months, OneOhio Interim Executive Director Kathryn Whittington has met with or spoken to more than 40 stakeholder groups representing addiction prevention, treatment and recovery, criminal justice, health care, and other related fields across the state.
While outreach and meetings continue, these groups are key to ensuring Ohioans across the state are getting important Foundation updates and know how to support work to identify and prioritize funding opportunities for regional and statewide projects. We appreciate the time so many have taken to meet with Foundation leadership and we look forward to working with these partners in the months and years ahead.
Interim Executive Director Kathryn Whittington spoke to the Statewide Prevention Coalition Association’s annual meeting on May 16, 2023.
Expert Panel Update:
The Foundation received more than 90 expert panel applications from Ohioans with unique backgrounds and expertise, and we sincerely appreciate the overwhelming interest to serve as a volunteer in this very important role. Thorough review of applications is underway. Once the Board has selected its six appointees, the appointments will be publicly announced and posted to our website.
Upcoming Events:
Ohio’s 2023 Opiate & Other Drugs Conference - June 5 & 6: OneOhio Interim Executive Director Kathryn Whittington has been invited to provide a keynote address at the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities’ 2023 Opiate & Other Drugs Conference. Kathryn is scheduled to speak on Tuesday, June 6 during the morning session of the conference, beginning at 9a. To learn more about the conference or to register, visit OACBHA’s event registration page.
Get the Latest Updates:
Help us connect with more Ohioans who want to join the fight against addiction. Please share this email with them and ask them to sign up for our newsletters at: OneOhioFoundation.com
To get information about upcoming meetings or to review past meeting recordings and documents, visit: OneOhioFoundation.com/Meetings
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board of Directors will not meet in June. The next board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce - 34 S. 3rd Street, Columbus, OH 43215.
