COLUMBUS, Ohio (WLIO) - Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announcing a third round of grants for addiction treatment in jails.
This round, a total of $2 million was granted to 11 jails, including the Mercer County and Van Wert County jails. The Opioid Remediation Grant Program is now in 37 counties. The money is for sheriffs to fund addiction tools and support for inmates.
County jails are awarded up to $200,000 per year to hire full time addiction services coordinators or contract a company to provide detox and recovery services. Counties can also apply for an additional $50,000 grant for medications and supplies for inmates going through opioid withdrawal.
A total of $5.6 million have been awarded since the program began earlier this year.
October 10, 2025, Press Release from the Office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has awarded a third round of grants totaling $2 million to help sheriffs prioritize addiction treatment for jail inmates.
This batch of grants, distributed to 11 jails, expands the program’s reach to 37 counties statewide. With the latest payments, the total awarded since Yost announced the first round of grants in March exceeds $5.6 million.
“These grants are supplying the tools and support for addicted inmates to overcome withdrawal, get clean and improve their lives upon release,” Yost said. “My thanks to Ohio’s sheriffs for showing that recovery is always within reach.”
In all, Yost’s office is offering $60 million in opioid settlement money over the next several years. Overdose is a leading cause of death among jail inmates in Ohio, accounting for at least 70 deaths since 2020, according to a USA Today report.
The attorney general’s Opioid Remediation Grant Program is awarding county jails up to $200,000 per year to hire a full-time addiction-services coordinator or contract with a company that provides such services to treat opioid and other addictions, helping inmates through detox and recovery. Additionally, any county that operates a jail can apply for a $50,000 grant to fund medications and supplies for inmates experiencing opioid withdrawal.
The recipients of this round of grants are:
- Butler County jail: $169,998
- Cuyahoga County jail: $193,200
- Delaware County jail: $249,891
- Mercer County jail: $128,000
- Paulding County jail: $128,000
- Pike County jail: $170,000
- Ross County jail: $248,500
- Stark County jail: $227,442
- Tuscarawas County jail: $208,909
- Van Wert County jail: $128,000
- Wayne County Justice Center: $227,347
At the Delaware County jail, where two-thirds of inmates needed care for detox or withdrawal in 2024, Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said his office will use its grant to expand medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services.
“This grant is a game-changer that allows us to offer MAT services for persons in the Delaware County jail and link them to treatment providers in the community when they are released,” Balzer said. “Studies have shown that MAT, when combined with therapy, increases the chances of long-term recovery, thus reducing recidivism.”
Stark County Sheriff Eric Weisburn explained that his office will use grant funding to build upon the success of the jail’s Stark County Adult Recovery (STAR) program, which focuses on the causes of addiction.
“We are thrilled to receive these grant funds, which will enable us to significantly expand and strengthen services offered to addicted inmates at our jail,” Weisburn said. “The funding will allow us to improve in-custody treatment, support post-release transitions, reduce overdose risks and lower recidivism rates.”
In Paulding County, Sheriff Jason Landers is using grant funding in collaboration with Foundations Behavioral Health Services to provide new addiction-treatment services.
“Attorney General Dave Yost has filled a void we’ve had in Paulding County for decades with this grant opportunity,” Landers said. “We hope to reduce our recidivism considerably by finally having someone dedicated to working with our entire judicial system to connect these folks with services and resources they never knew existed or didn’t understand how to use.”
Ross County Sheriff George Lavender Jr. will use his office’s grant to contract with the Scioto Paint Valley Mental Health Center to provide full-time mental health and addiction services at the jail.
“I am appreciative of the collaboration with Attorney General Yost and for the receipt of this grant funding,” Lavender said. “This money will provide the needed medication-assisted treatment for inmates at the jail and after their release, helping to reduce recidivism.”
The application window for 2025 grant funding runs through Dec. 1. An application form is available here.
