Johnson County, UI among 10 entities that will receive Iowa grants for opioid addiction prevention, treatment

DES MOINES — Ten Iowa entities have been notified they will receive grants of up to $1 million each for opioid addiction prevention and treatment, according to state documentation provided to The Gazette on Tuesday.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, one of two state agencies that under a new state law receives a portion of funds from national settlements with opioid manufacturers, in early November made $14 million available for the grants. The agency on Tuesday notified the 10 entities of its intent to award the grants.

Funding for the grants comes from the state’s share of the settlement funds. Exact amounts of the individual grants are still to be negotiated.

The grants are to fund projects and services designed to prevent opioid-related deaths, reduce opioid misuse, or increase access to opioid use disorder medication and services, according to the state grant application.

Iowa HHS did not respond to The Gazette’s request for comment Tuesday.

“These funds are a vital step in helping individuals and families recover from the devastating effects of opioid addiction,” Iowa HHS Director Larry Johnson said in an agency press release in early November when the grant funds were announced. “Our goal is to bring healing and hope to every corner of the state.”

Grant applicants were required by Iowa HHS to focus on one or more of a series of opioid-related goals: addressing community needs, using proven methods to support individuals, working with local service providers, promoting medications and distributing reversal drugs, respecting the privacy and dignity of individuals served, and using data to show results.

The funds are for one-time awards, not to become a recurring funding source for programs or facilities.

The organizations and entities notified by Iowa HHS of the agency’s intent to award the grants, are, according to the state document:

What Johnson County will do with the grant funds

Johnson County plans to expand community-based, non-emergency medical care while building a statewide pipeline of community paramedics via its Mobile Integrated Health program, Johnson County Supervisors Executive Director Erin Shane said Tuesday.

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The county proposed using grant funding to expand the capacity of the program, which launched in 2024, Shane said. It is one of a handful across the state that provides preemptive care to at-risk patients, reducing the number of emergency visits. The program currently is staffed by just one paramedic.

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Shane said the program has expanded Johnson County Ambulance Service’s mission “to include preventive care, chronic disease support, mental health engagement, and in-home services designed to reduce emergency department utilization and improve patient outcomes.”

Shane said Johnson County will work with project partners — including GuideLink Center, University of Iowa Health Care, Shelter House, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and Inside Out Reentry — to “address both immediate gaps in opioid response and long-term workforce shortages across Iowa.”

Iowa’s role in opioid addiction lawsuits

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The State of Iowa since 2021 has been a part of multiple national lawsuits against 10 pharmaceutical companies that include opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacists. The settlements have resulted in more than $50 billion owed to participating states.

Iowa’s share of settlement funds are split 50-50 between the state and local governments, and the state’s portion is placed in a settlement fund.

Iowa will receive roughly $365 million from the 2021 through 2040 state budget years, including portions to the state and local governments as well as additional restitution, according to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the state’s Legislative Services Agency.

After struggling for multiple years to come to an agreement, state lawmakers in 2025 passed legislation that details how the state’s portion of opioid settlement funds will be spent. States must operate within a framework established by the national settlement, but within that framework are allowed to determine how to allocate their settlement funds.

Iowa’s new law dedicates 75 percent of state settlement funds to Iowa HHS and 25 percent to the Iowa AG’s Office. The legislation allocated an initial $17 million to HHS and the AG’s Office, plus another $29 million to 10 projects across the state.

Both state agencies are required to consult with the state’s seven behavioral health districts on how best to use the funds and analyze local government usage to prevent duplicating programs and services already being offered by local efforts.

After those allocations, as of early November, the state’s opioid settlement fund contained more than $29.6 million, according to LSA.

Opioids claimed the lives of 238 Iowans in 2023, according to state figures. Iowa’s annual opioid-related death rate peaked at 258 in 2021.

The rate of Iowa’s opioid-related deaths was third-lowest among U.S. states in 2023, at 8.4 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the nonprofit health care advocacy and reporting organization KFF. The U.S. average that year was 24, and the highest mark by far was West Virginia’s 71.6 deaths per 100,000.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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