Blessed by appointment to Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council

If you ask God to use you and your experience to help others, you can be sure that prayer will be answered.
The opportunity to serve you as County Executive is a blessing. So is my role as pastor at United Church, and through it, the opportunity to found 8 Oaks Recovery, a licensed, faith-based residential substance abuse treatment program in Lawrence County.

Because of these experiences and my heart for those who struggle with substance use disorder, I have been blessed with an appointment to the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council by the Tennessee County Services Association.

As part of this 15-member volunteer Council, my duties include helping make decisions concerning funds distributed across the state to projects that focus on substance abuse prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery support, education, training, and research. It is a privilege to work with dedicated leaders from across Tennessee to ensure resources are invested wisely, lives are transformed, and more people have the opportunity to experience lasting recovery.

Council members are required to have expertise and a minimum of ten years of experience in public health policy, medicine, substance use disorder and addiction treatment, mental health services, drug misuse prevention programs, or drug court diversion or other programs in which people with substance use disorders interact with first responders, law enforcement, or the criminal justice system.
Four members of the Council, including the chair, are appointed by the Governor; four by the Speaker of the Senate; four by Speaker of the House; two by the Tennessee County Services Association; and one by the Tennessee Municipal League.
The Council works with the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund, which is managed by the Tennessee Treasury. The fund receives 70% of our settlement from a lawsuit filed by 15 states against major drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy chains. The settlement was for more than $50 billion, to be paid to the affected states over 18 years. Tennessee is slated to receive a total of over $1 billion.
Sixty-five percent of the allocations from the Trust Fund are distributed as one-, two-, or three-year grants to recipients across the state, and 35 percent as allocations to all 95 counties based on their population, fatal and non-fatal overdoses, and volume of opioid sales.

Each county has its own Opioid Abatement Committee, which distributes its allocation to local programs through a competitive grant process.
Lawrence County was not hit as hard as some others by the opioid epidemic, but we all see the devastation addiction brings to individuals, families, and communities. Through my work I have also seen the incredible power of hope, healing, and restoration. I am deeply grateful and honored to be part of the effort that is helping build stronger families, healthier communities, and a brighter future for our state.