Opioid settlement advisory council to open portal for fund applicants Monday
By Allen Siegler | Originally published by Mississippi Today
With reformed policies and outside help, the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council will open its second annual grant application Monday for tens of millions of lawsuit dollars intended to address the state’s overdose crisis.
The council, along with the state Legislature, oversees most of the $430 million of Mississippi funds paid by corporations accused of catalyzing hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths. Now, the council instructs organizations to apply for grants through an online portal.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch also serves as council chair and is campaigning to be the Republican candidate for state governor. In an email, her office’s spokesperson, MaryAsa Lee, said the application portal is designed to “reduce the burden on applicants.” The office has also created an email for organizations to send questions they may have about the application process.
“If a question and its answer would be useful to other applicants, it will be added to the published FAQ on the website,” Lee said.
The new website was designed and administered by The Steadman Group, a Colorado-based behavioral health consulting group the council contracted this year. The Mississippi Legislature passed a bill in the 2026 legislative session that instructed Fitch’s office to partner with a third-party group, one that could address opioid settlement application problems lawmakers and council members identified in the previous cycle.
One of those issues was opportunities for council members to influence the reviews of applications that could benefit their own organizations. The portal website echoes language in the law, telling applicants that people who review their proposals have confirmed they have no conflicts of interest.
The application will be live for six weeks, during which Steadman plans to host two webinars for groups interested in applying for Mississippi opioid money. Lee said those who cannot attend can email the new applicant support address with questions.
At the opioid committee’s August meeting, Deputy Attorney General Doug Miracle said Steadman will do the initial review of applications before council members finalize their recommendations to the Legislature. State lawmakers will then consider those suggestions in the 2027 regular legislative session.
Steadman told Mississippi Today in June that one of its main focuses this fall will be ensuring each application is held to a consistent standard.
Like other states, Mississippi began receiving its first national opioids settlement payments in 2022. Unlike other states, Mississippi didn’t use any of the over $130 million it accumulated over its first few years until July — except for lawyers fees and dollars local governments could use for any public purpose.
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
