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 annual funding, 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.
One Shared Settlement Dashboard for Colorado's 19 Regions
19 regional councils across Colorado will share one public dashboard linking opioid settlement spending to local outcomes, built by a university data team.
Dedicated Prison Social Workers From Screening to Reentry
1,928 people in 12 Virginia prisons were served in 2025-2026 by settlement-funded social workers who carry substance use care from screening through release.
College-Led Training for Addiction Counselors and Court Volunteers
More than 100 child welfare staff and volunteers trained for two days in Buckhannon, WV, and 10 scholarships backed addiction counseling certificate students.
Recovery-Friendly Workplace Certification for Employers
124 employers across 25 Colorado counties signed on to a recovery-friendly certification, built on a $500,000 opioid settlement infrastructure award.
Training Community Members for Frontline Behavioral Health Roles
Five cohorts drew trainees from 13 Kansas counties, preparing community members to work as community health workers with the mental health and addiction skills other courses leave out.
Peer Support Inside the Public Defender's Office
Six settlement-funded peer staff, four direct-service peers plus a partially funded lead and supervisor, work inside Maryland's public defender offices, moving clients from jail into vetted treatment under attorney-client privilege.
Free Take-Home Naloxone at Emergency Departments
54 Virginia emergency departments now hand patients a free naloxone kit at discharge, with settlement funds covering the one cost no payer reimburses.
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.
Free App for Naloxone Response and Overdose Reporting
A free Arkansas app walks bystanders through naloxone in English, Spanish, and Marshallese and logs the save, built for $296,000 and $8,750 a year to run.
Emergency Departments as Bridges to Recovery
82% of ER patients linked to follow-up care in the first year. Seven Virginia health systems are adopting the model, and a $150K settlement award funds the free toolkit and statewide webinars.
Tiered Housing Support for People Leaving Treatment
836 people leaving treatment moved into sober living homes across 20 Kansas counties through Mirror, Inc.'s weekly move-in assistance, all on a $280K award from 2024 to early 2026.
First Responder Confidential Support Program
Rhode Island police officers and their families made 10 to 12 confidential helpline calls a week within two months of launch, on $200K over two years.
Coalition Building for Prevention Funding
7 of 13 rural Arkansas coalitions won federal Drug-Free Communities grants totaling about $4.3 million, built on a $325,000 opioid settlement investment.