Op-Ed: Communities Keep Momentum in the fight against addiction

OneOhio Recovery Foundation board member Daphne Ayers authored the following op-ed about the important work the Foundation is doing in collaboration with local organizations. You can read the full op-ed in the Morning Journal, The Review, and the Salem News.

"This past year marked a turning point for the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, the nonprofit organization created by our state’s leaders to manage and invest 55 percent of the funds received from the national opioid settlements. Through its first cycle of regional grants, the Foundation awarded more than $45 million to projects across all 19 regions of the state. These grants are supporting prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction programs that meet people where they are and reflect the needs of each community.

Now OneOhio is preparing for Regional Grant Cycle 2, which will invest another $45.7 million statewide beginning in early 2026. Each region, including eastern Ohio’s Region 11, which I am proud to represent on the Foundation’s board, will have new resources to invest in local priorities. It is an exciting next step in our shared mission to turn settlement dollars into lasting, life-changing investments..."

"These projects, large and small, demonstrate how the marriage of regional collaboration and local leadership is transforming lives. The challenges may differ across our region, but the spirit of resilience and partnership is the same everywhere. From recovery coaches to county health leaders to nonprofit volunteers, people are stepping up to ensure that every Ohioan has the opportunity to live a healthy, productive, and hopeful life..."

"As we move into 2026, our focus is clear: Keep building. Keep learning. Keep supporting what works. Every grant the Foundation awards undergoes a rigorous, transparent review with local input and independent expert oversight. Every dollar is an investment not just in programs, but in people–the counselors, peer coaches, teachers, and recovery leaders who make hope possible every day."