Opioid Settlement Case Studies: Real Programs, Budgets & Outcomes
This library documents how communities across the country are using opioid settlement and abatement funds to expand prevention, treatment, recovery, and overdose prevention services. Each case study profiles a single program in a single jurisdiction and details its funding, partners, design, and outcomes, from same-day buprenorphine care in Burlington, Vermont, to a rural walk-in recovery center in Walker County, Alabama.
Use the filters to sort by settlement category, service type, population served, community type, state, and budget range, then open any profile to review the budget, results, and lessons learned. Each model is presented as a reference point rather than a prescription, so you can adapt the elements that fit your community's needs and capacity.
Walk-In Recovery Centers Across Seven Rural Counties
More than 6,000 people walked into a Lee County, KY recovery center since 2022, and the model now runs across seven rural counties on $865K in settlement awards.
HEART: Treatment That Follows People Into Custody
37 people in a northwest Virginia regional jail keep their opioid medication from the day they are booked, with counseling, peer support and groups inside.
Practical Needs First at a Peer-Run Recovery Hub
622 people reached detox, treatment and sober living in one year, sent by peers at a Jonesboro, AR drop-in center built on a $250,000 settlement award.
Peer Support Inside the Public Defender's Office
Six settlement-funded peers work inside Maryland's public defender offices, moving clients from jail into vetted treatment under attorney-client privilege.
Peer Support Across Jails, Probation, and Recovery Courts
227 justice-involved people in New Hampshire got peer support in 2025 from staff who had lived recovery and incarceration, on $287K a year in settlement funds.
Peer-Led Jail Recovery with Free Outpatient Handoff
80% of participants in a rural northwest Kansas jail class were still in recovery a year later, on $500,000 in opioid settlement awards across two cycles.
Same-Day Buprenorphine Care for Justice-Involved Adults
A walk-in clinic in Burlington, VT reached 170 new patients in year two, more than triple its target, on $150,000 a year to each of the two partner agencies.
The Recovery Den: Rural Walk-In Center
Peer mentors in Walker County, AL logged 2,498 service visits in 2025 at a walk-in recovery center that runs on a $150K settlement award, no appointment needed.
Rapid Responders & Community Programs Continuum
In Wake County, NC, Healing Transitions sends peer and EMS responders to overdose survivors within 24 to 72 hours, when re-engagement is most likely.
Continuum of Care Recovery for Justice-Involved Adults
The Shoulder runs an Alabama continuum that carries justice-involved adults from residential treatment through recovery, housing, and employment.
Jail-Based Recovery and Reentry Program
Recidivism sits near 18% for Sevier County, AR's sheriff-led RSAT program, against a roughly 42% state average, on about $372K a year in settlement funds.
LIGHT Program for Justice-Involved Adults
In Selma, AL, Rise and Recover's LIGHT program cut the wait for a substance use assessment from six weeks to 72 hours, for $150K.
Safe and Healthy Macomb: Countywide Opioid Response
Macomb County, MI cut six-month recidivism 12% for jail MAT participants by steering $19.3M in opioid settlement funds to gaps across a countywide portfolio.
Center for Employment Opportunities: Transitional Work and Peer Support
One dedicated peer specialist doubled job success for people in recovery in Louisville, KY, from 15% to over 30%, on a $255K settlement award.
Eastern Ohio Correction Center: MAT & Aftercare
Eastern Ohio Correction Center launched MAT and aftercare for ~340 incarcerated people a year across nine Appalachian counties for $199,721.