Several organizations within Anderson County will continue to fight the ongoing battle against opioid addiction and its wide-ranging effects. They were awarded $755,000 in the second round of opioid settlement grant funding. The money will support a variety of programs aimed at curbing the use of opioids in the county.
County Commissioner Shelly Vandagriff, who represents District 3, serves as chair of the Anderson County Opioid Settlement Committee. Representatives of the organizations that applied for the funds and were chosen by the committee were recognized at a special presentation in the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton on June 18.
Grant funds came from the state of Tennessee's Opioid Settlement Fund, established by state law in 2021, according to a county government news release.
"When we work together, we can really make a difference," Vandagriff said. "Partnering with existing Anderson County resources ensures this money goes straight to helping people with housing, transportation, and recovery support. We're proud to provide funds for the hard work happening right here in our own county."
"I am very proud of the work of the Opioid Settlement Committee and the thoughtful, hard work they have put in to prioritizing the areas of greatest need," Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said. "From the needs assessment to the application and scoring process, this intentional methodology helps ensure the funds help our community achieve maximum effectiveness in combatting the opioid epidemic."
The Anderson County Commission authorized the creation of an Opioid Settlement Task Force in 2023. The task force members, a small group of county commissioners, conducted several public sessions, including at least three town hall meetings throughout Anderson County in 2023 and 2024. County Commission changed the Task Force to a full committee in early 2025.
After hosting the town hall-style meetings and other sessions and working with the mayor's office and staff from the Anderson County Finance Department and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville to create the application process, the committee opened an online portal – created by Anderson County Tourism Director Stephanie Wells – to accept applications from the community for the $427,444 in allocated state opioid funds that were initially given by the State to Anderson County. The state plans to disburse funds of differing amounts to the counties annually.
Following are the organizations that will receive opioid grant funds to support awareness, treatment and counseling, housing, transportation, drug disposal, and peer support programs in Anderson County.
First Methodist Church (First Recovery): $118,240
Hope of East Tennessee: $105,000
Anderson County Recovery Court: $44,500
Main Street Baptist Church (Rocky Top): $12,000
Boys & Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley: $60,000
Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP): $116,164.66
Tennessee Outreach Center for the Homeless: $40,000
Celebrate Recovery at Heritage: $13,500
FOCUS (Jail Recovery Support Project): $4,744
Clinton Broadcaster: $13,567.12
Tennessee's Opioid Abatement Council was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in Public Chapter 491 to manage disbursement to the state's 95 counties of proceeds from lawsuits relating to opioids.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Anderson County funds local opioid recovery efforts