On November 12, the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services announced Opioid and Stimulant Response Grant 4.0 (SOS 4.0) grant awards including three Allen County applicants.

County - Award Recipient - Award Amount

• Allen - Mental Health & Recovery Services Board/Allen - $147,917.08

• Allen - Mercy Health - St. Rita’s Medical Center, LLC - $50,489.80

• Allen - Prevention Awareness Support Services - $542,462.25

$100 million in federal grant funding will be used in communities across the state to advance ongoing efforts to fight opioid use disorder and prevent overdose deaths. List of recipients at https://bit.ly/3Z0vdIe/

This is a fourth round of State Opioid and Stimulant Response (SOS) grant funds awarded throughout Ohio. These SOS 4.0 grants were received by OhioMHAS through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support local organizations that offer prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and long-term recovery services for Ohioans struggling with an opioid or stimulant use disorder.

Governor DeWine recently announced that Ohio’s overdose deaths have dropped substantially two years in a row. In 2023, Ohio’s 9% decline in overdose deaths far outpaced the national 2% decrease. The SOS 4.0 grant funding aims to continue to build upon this momentum.

More than $68.7 million is being awarded to Ohio’s county Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) boards and community-based providers.

OhioMHAS will also use a portion of the funding to partner with state agencies to ensure life-saving naloxone and other community resources are available throughout the state.

OhioMHAS coordinated with statewide partners, state-level agencies, and Governor DeWine’s RecoveryOhio initiative to identify Ohio’s goals for SOS 4.0 funding. Key priorities include:

- Reducing unintentional overdose deaths
- Increasing access to substance use disorder treatment
- Preventing youth substance use
- Increasing recovery support services
- Supporting responsible prescribing practices and statewide education efforts
- Promoting integrated harm reduction practices