CLINTON—Several organizations within Anderson County will continue to fight the ongoing battle against opioid addiction and its wide-ranging effects, having been awarded more than $755,000 in the second round of opioid settlement grant funding to support a variety of programs that are aimed at curbing the use of opioids in our community.

County Commissioner Shelly Vandagriff, who represents District 3 and serves as chairwoman of the Anderson County Opioid Settlement Committee, has organized a special presentation for the awardees at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, June 18, in Room 312 at the Courthouse.

Grant funds came from the State of Tennessee’s Opioid Settlement Fund, established by state law in 2021.

“When we work together, we can really make a difference,” Vandagriff said. “Partnering with existing Anderson County resources ensures this money goes straight to helping people with housing, transportation, and recovery support. We’re proud to provide funds for the hard work happening right here in our own county.”

“I am very proud of the work of the Opioid Settlement Committee and the thoughtful, hard work they have put in to prioritizing the areas of greatest need,” Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said.  “From the needs assessment to the application and scoring process, this intentional methodology helps ensure the funds help our community achieve maximum effectiveness in combatting the opioid epidemic.”

The Anderson County Commission authorized the creation of an Opioid Settlement Task Force in 2023. The task force members – a small group of county commissioners – conducted several public sessions, including at least three “town hall” meetings throughout Anderson County in 2023 and 2024. County Commission changed the Task Force to a full committee in early 2025.

After hosting the town hall-style meetings and other sessions and working with the County Mayor’s office and staff from the Anderson County Finance Department and the University of Tennessee Knoxville to create the application process, the committee opened an online portal – created by Anderson County Tourism Director Stephanie Wells – to accept applications from the community for the $427,444 in allocated state opioid funds that were initially given by the State to Anderson County. The state plans to disburse funds of differing amounts to the counties annually.

Following are the organizations that will receive opioid grant funds to support awareness, treatment and counseling, housing, transportation, drug disposal, and peer support programs in Anderson County:

  • First Methodist Church (First Recovery): $118,240
  • Hope of East Tennessee $105,000
  • New Purpose: $132,309
  • Ridgeview: $30,000
  • Isaiah 117 House: $65,000
  • Anderson County Recovery Court: $44,500
  • Main Street Baptist Church (Rocky Top): $12,000
  • Boys & Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley: $60,000
  • Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP): $116,164.66
  • Tennessee Outreach Center for the Homeless: $40,000
  • Celebrate Recovery at Heritage: $13,500
  • FOCUS (Jail Recovery Support Project): $4,744
  • Clinton Broadcasters: $13,567.12

Each grant awardee will be required to enter a contract, effective July 1, 2026, with Anderson County Government before spending their grant funds.

The county Finance Department worked with the University of Tennessee’s SMART Initiative to create a contract as well as finalize parameters for how best to provide data on programs, outcomes, and their impact and effectiveness. The UT Substance Misuse and Addiction Resource for Tennessee (SMART) Initiative, according to its website, guides community leaders in implementing evidence-based, cost-effective strategies to mitigate damage from substance use disorder and the opioid epidemic.

Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in Public Chapter 491 to manage disbursement to the state’s 95 counties of proceeds from lawsuits relating to opioids. The council upholds the responsibility to ensure the disbursements of these funds go toward funding programs, strategies, expenditures, and other actions designed to prevent and address the misuse and abuse of opioid products and treat or mitigate opioid use or related disorders or other effects of the opioid epidemic.

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