The Washoe Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 10 approved just over $4 million for six projects aimed at combating the opioid epidemic. The allocation comes from the Washoe Opioid Abatement and Recovery Fund (WOARF), which was established through legal settlements with pharmaceutical companies and distributors involved in the opioid crisis.
Lauren Beal, the county’s grants and community program analyst, said that projects were selected based on community needs. “These dollars are specifically for opioid use disorder treatment, recovery and abatement,” she said. “They cannot be used for other things, or the pharmaceutical companies might try to claw back that money.”
Beal said the county expects to receive approximately $41 million over 20 years from the settlements. This initial round of funding targets the top five priorities identified in a December 2022 community needs assessment.
The Nevada Attorney General’s office was criticized last year for what critics said was a lack of transparency about how the money was being allocated. Requests for information to his office were stymied.
The money is now being doled out to local governments with Washoe County now selecting projects to fund. The largest allocation, $1.3 million, will be used to increase access to treatment for uninsured and underinsured residents. Northern Nevada HOPES, using just over $984,000, will create an opioid treatment program at its new clinic on East Fourth Street near the Nevada Cares Campus, while Ridge House will provide outpatient services.
“Each of these projects will expand the number of people who have no insurance or whose insurance makes accessing holistic treatment fiscally impossible, who will be able to receive treatment that meets their needs,” Beal said.
Two organizations focusing on overdose prevention, outreach and education received $775,000. The county’s CrossRoads program will receive $1 million to expand services to entire families impacted by substance use disorders.
A recent CrossRoads graduate, Kevin Lystedt, spoke during public comment and thanked commissioners for what he said is a brand new life given to him through participation in the program. He said that adding a program that keeps families together through recovery would help many people he’s met.
“I’ve come across many men who had families, children, wives at home who had to make tough decisions or who had to leave the program to go take care of their families,” Lystedt said. “I’ve met people on the streets who want to go to treatment, but they have their families, and they’re unable to do that. Thank you so much for being committed to a CrossRoads family program. If they can do for families what they’ve done for me, then this is for sure a winner.”
Commissioner Clara Andriola praised the family treatment model. “Keeping the family together is so critical to the success of everyone,” she said.
Bristlecone Family Resources will use an allocation of more than $952,000 to build a new 20-bed detox center.
The funding process involved 25 applicants requesting more than $13 million for opioid-related programs. Review teams, comprising individuals with lived experience, subject matter experts and grants management professionals, evaluated the proposals.
“We really wanted to look into different aspects of the application to ensure that this would be something that would be sustainable going forward after the funding ends,” Beal said.
The next round of funding is expected in 2026, with approximately $5.7 million available. The board unanimously approved the funding.
