Opioid Settlement Funds
As a result of national litigation surrounding pharmaceutical and related companies, Polk County is receiving opioid settlement funds to address the harms of opioid use in our community. In accordance with the National Opioid Settlements, Polk County is allowed to allocate funds for projects related to prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction. Polk County’s vision for opioid settlement funds is to invest in high-need areas with the greatest impact on people with lived experience in a transparent, intentional, and sustainable manner.
Opioid Settlement Funds Strategic Plan
Polk County Behavioral Health & Disability Services (BHDS) leads fund administration and has created a strategic plan for funds in FY2024-26. As the first strategic funding priority, grants will be awarded for programs that provide direct supports for people with lived experience.
Read the Polk County Opioid Settlement Funds FY2024-26 Strategic Plan
Update: in March 2025, BHDS provided an update on the Strategic Plan, including proposed future projects, to the Board of Supervisors. View the recorded presentation here.
Supports for People with Lived Experience Grants: FY26-27 Application Released
Polk County will distribute up to $1,000,000 in county opioid settlement funds to organizations over two years (FY26-27) to provide supports for people with lived experience of substance use.
Download the FY26-27 Supports for People with Lived Experience Grants Application Here
Download the Supports Grants Budget Form Here
The first round of Supports for People with Lived Experience Grants were awarded in 2024 to Bridges of Iowa, Full Circle Recovery, Primary Health Care, UCS Healthcare, and St. Vincent de Paul of Des Moines. The funds will expand access to integrated healthcare and peer supports for people with substance use disorders, especially those with opioid use disorder. See below for summaries of the grant-funded projects.
Bridges of Iowa Project Summary
Full Circle Recovery Project Summary
Primary Health Care Project Summary
St. Vincent de Paul Project Summary
UCS Healthcare Project Summary
Prevention Grant (July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026) Application Released
Polk County will award up to $500,000 in grant funding and ongoing technical assistance to up to five organizations that will invest in prevention programming to prevent substance misuse, including opioid misuse, among youth in Polk County. Intended recipients are organizations in Polk County that serve youth and/or families that are interested in improving the quality and effectiveness of their programming, including enhancing programming by using practices informed by research, and can benefit from technical assistance to align with best practices in prevention.
Download the 2025-2026 Prevention Grant Application Here
Download the Prevention Grant Budget Form Here
Harm Reduction Supplies Grants
Harm reduction is a Core Strategy of the National Opioid Settlements because of the extensive body of research that proves harm reduction efforts are effective public policy, improve the quality of life for individuals and communities, and save lives. As an extension of the Polk County Opioid Settlement Funds FY2024-26 Strategic Plan Priority Area 4: Supports for People with Lived Experience, on August 27, 2024, the Polk County Board of Supervisors approved the award of two $50,000 Harm Reduction Supplies Grants to the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition and Steps of Hope Iowa. Both organizations will use the funding to provide life-saving supplies, including naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug, to Polk County residents affected by substance use.
Harm Reduction Supplies Grants Project Overviews
Other Priority Areas
Through a Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) Workshop in May 2023, community stakeholders identified the other FY2024-26 priorities for opioid settlement funds:
- Deflection and prearrest diversion: enact a diversion program to prevent harms associated with incarceration and promote a public health approach to addressing substance use.
- Recovery housing: increase the availability of high-quality recovery housing options to provide foundational support for people with lived experience.
- Jail reentry: connect people with substance use disorders to resources while incarcerated and upon release to reduce the risk of overdose and improve their quality of life.
The SIM Mapping Report details gaps in services for people with mental health or substance use disorders who come into the contact with the criminal justice system in Polk County and is a supplemental document to the Strategic Plan.
Read the Sequential Intercept Model Mapping Report – Polk County, Iowa
Planning initiatives are underway to identify gaps in substance use treatment and prevention in Polk County and are detailed in the Strategic Plan. For further information on Polk County’s Opioid Settlement Funds FY2024-26 Strategic Plan and grants, email opioidsettlement@polkcountyiowa.gov.