Lincoln County, Oklahoma is using opioid settlement funds to expand mental health and substance abuse services in a rural area where need far outweighs available resources. The Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board awarded the county a $150,000 two-year grant to expand services and bring new resources to the community, including a case manager for families involved in court.
Lincoln County Clerk Alicia Wagnon led the effort to secure settlement funds, partnering with the nonprofit Gateway, Chandler’s primary substance abuse service provider. The county reports over 95% of its jail bookings in 2024 were linked to substance use or mental health. Gateway has an office in Chandler and an agreement with local treatment courts so that people can complete court-ordered treatment that keeps them out of prison and jail. The opioid settlement grant funds medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder and case management through the nonprofit.
State Budget Cuts and Operational Challenges
Progress was threatened by sweeping state budget cuts to mental health providers. The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services put hundreds of programs on the chopping block after financial mismanagement at the agency came to light. Gateway was going to have to close its Chandler office, but the county leveraged the grant to pay nearly $41,000 to cover the nonprofit’s operational costs and rent for three months until funding was reinstated. According to Judy Smith, who helped develop the grant application, monthly there were close to 90 active clients who would have had to seek services out of county. Many don’t have reliable access to transportation.
Regional Struggles and Sustainability Focus
Other localities are struggling to spend settlement money at all. The attorney general’s office rescinded ten grants given out in 2024 because grantees still hadn’t used the money they were awarded. According to Terry Simonson, who manages outreach and collaborations for the board, many grantees “get someone to do the grant, but there’s no one to carry it forward.” Lincoln County was just approved for a second round of funding and is seeking out federal grants to establish sustainable pathways for care once the settlement funds are exhausted.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kosu.org/rural-oklahoma-county-opioids-funds