Local county jails receive state grants

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Van Wert, Paulding and Mercer counties have been awarded grant money that will help fight drug addiction in their respective county jails.

Each county is receiving $128,000, with the money coming from the state’s Opioid Remediation Grant Program. According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the awards, which were announced on Friday, are part of a third round of grants to 11 jails totaling $2 million. The grants are expanding the program’s reach to 37 counties statewide. With the latest payments, the total awarded since Yost announced the first round of grants in March exceeds $5.6 million.

“These grants are supplying the tools and support for addicted inmates to overcome withdrawal, get clean and improve their lives upon release,” Yost said. “My thanks to Ohio’s sheriffs for showing that recovery is always within reach.”

In all, Yost’s office is offering $60 million in opioid settlement money over the next several years. Overdose is a leading cause of death among jail inmates in Ohio, accounting for at least 70 deaths since 2020, according to a USA Today report.  

The Opioid Remediation Grant Program is awarding county jails up to $200,000 per year to hire a full-time addiction-services coordinator or contract with a company that provides such services to treat opioid and other addictions, helping inmates through detox and recovery. Additionally, any county that operates a jail can apply for a $50,000 grant to fund medications and supplies for inmates experiencing opioid withdrawal.

“We are utilizing this grant to work with Foundations Behavioral Services to help provide services to inmates with opioid and other substance use addiction,” Van Wert County Sheriff Tom Riggenbach said. “This position will help re-establish services for individuals who have previously received substance use services, assist them in starting to receive services for substance use addiction, coordinate continuity of care for inmates being released to the community or to another correctional facility, and provide potential employment opportunities. We will also use money from this grant toward medications for inmates who would benefit from MAT (medication assistant treatments) in addition to the treatment they may be receiving.” 

“We are excited about the possibilities this grant will provide for inmates in our jail,” Riggenbach added. “We are grateful for the opportunity that Attorney General Dave Yost has provided by making this funding available.”

In Paulding County, Sheriff Jason Landers is also using grant funding in collaboration with Foundations Behavioral Health Services to provide new addiction-treatment services.

“Attorney General Dave Yost has filled a void we’ve had in Paulding County for decades with this grant opportunity,” Landers said. “We hope to reduce our recidivism considerably by finally having someone dedicated to working with our entire judicial system to connect these folks with services and resources they never knew existed or didn’t understand how to use.”  

Here is the complete list of recipients of the latest round of grants:

• Butler County jail: $169,998
• Cuyahoga County jail: $193,200
• Delaware County jail: $249,891
• Mercer County jail: $128,000
• Paulding County jail: $128,000
• Pike County jail: $170,000
• Ross County jail: $248,500
• Stark County jail: $227,442
• Tuscarawas County jail: $208,909
• Van Wert County jail: $128,000
• Wayne County Justice Center: $227,347