502-586-4554When Mayor Craig Greenberg stepped up to the podium in early March 2025, the message was clear: Louisville is turning settlement funds from pharmaceutical giants into real community impact. The city had just received $2.9 million, the fourth installment in a multi-year stream expected to total $57 million, aimed at confronting the opioid epidemic head-on.
The funds are strategically earmarked for four interconnected priorities: preventing addiction among youth, keeping vulnerable individuals out of jail, enabling families to access court-ordered treatment, and committing to transparent, outcome-based evaluation. Let’s walk through how each piece supports Louisville’s collective resilience—and where the Louisville Addiction Center (LAC) comes in.
1. Preventing Addiction Before It Starts: $1.6 Million Invested in Youth
The lion’s share—approximately $1.6 million—is dedicated to proactive prevention efforts in Louisville’s schools and after-school environments.
Jefferson County Public Schools will be the primary conduit. Through classroom instruction, students will receive age-appropriate education about opioids and mental health, equipping them to resist early exposure. Concerns like trauma and behavioral health issues are also being addressed: funding supports additional mental health services, including a medication-management nurse and community health workers deployed where students need them most.
But prevention doesn’t end at the school bell. The investment expands meaningful, safe after-school programs—such as those at the YMCA enrichment centers—where students learn, connect, and stay supported in structured environments.
Prevention advocates often cite evidence that middle school and early high school are critical intervention windows—when experimentation can spiral into addiction. Louisville’s plan reflects a growing consensus: halting substance misuse before symptoms emerge is as vital as anything done in the clinic.
2. A Responsible Alternative to Jail: $700,000 for Diversion Court
On a different front entirely, roughly $700,000 will support the creation of a “diversion court” for individuals without homes who have received unlawful camping citations.
Under the Safer Kentucky Act, those cited aren’t forced into jail or fined. Instead, they’re offered a choice: engage with services like housing assistance, mental health screening, and substance use treatment—or risk court penalties. Participants who follow through with providers such as St. John Center or Coalition for the Homeless can have charges waived or dismissed.
The new funding formalizes this current patchwork of services into a structured, performance-tracked program—one shining example of Louisville’s shift toward compassionate justice. The city is issuing an RFP to hire providers equipped to conduct screenings, manage cases, and generate measurable outcomes in the court setting .
3. Empowering Families: $315,000 for Casey’s Law Implementation
Kentucky’s Casey’s Law, passed in honor of Matthew Casey Wethington, allows parents, relatives, or friends to petition the court for involuntary substance use disorder treatment.
Yet each petition requires two mental health evaluations—an expense that often deters families in crisis. The settlement’s $315,000 allocation is designated to reduce this hurdle, enabling more families to secure court-ordered treatment for loved ones without bearing the financial burden.
If this helps even a few more families take action in time, the impact could be tremendous.
4. Accountability in Action: $300,000 Secured for Evaluation
Finally, $300,000 of this round is earmarked explicitly for program evaluation, funding third-party oversight of all initiatives.
Past efforts have suffered when programs weren’t tracked for effectiveness—leading to money spent with unclear outcomes. This commitment ensures that every dollar spent can be measured, adjusted, and optimized. It also lays the groundwork for sustaining initiatives beyond one-time funds.
How Louisville Addiction Center Fits Into the Ecosystem
Louisville Addiction Center (LAC) is uniquely positioned to become a strategic partner across each of these pillars:
● Leading Prevention Education
LAC brings deep experience with youth-centered education, school partnerships, and mental health awareness. The city’s $1.6 million plan creates room for LAC to offer curriculum development, workshops, and on-site health support—whether via nurse staffing, education modules, or after-hours programming.
● Providing Court Diversion Services
With expertise in behavioral assessments and case management, LAC is a compelling candidate to fulfill the city’s RFP for the $700,000 diversion court program. Offering coordinated services—intake, treatment referral, and follow-up—LAC can position itself as a core service provider in this critical system.
● Facilitating Casey’s Law Evaluations
Clinicians at LAC can conduct the evaluations required under Casey’s Law, easing access for families. Partnering with Jefferson’s Circuit Court Clerk’s Mental Health Division would strengthen referral pathways and ensure timely, court-approved assessments.
● Informing Impact Measurement
LAC already maintains strong data and outcome tracking. By partnering with external evaluators or serving in an advisory capacity, LAC can help shape the metrics on school engagement, diversion success, and Casey’s Law effectiveness—ensuring transparency and future funding viability.
Turning Crisis Funds Into Long-Term Change
Nationally, the opioid crisis has claimed over 760,000 lives since 1999, with opioids contributing to 75% of overdose deaths in 2020. Kentucky remains disproportionately harmed, with nearly 2,000 overdose deaths in 2023—of which nearly 500 occurred in Jefferson County alone.
In this context, Louisville’s four-pronged strategy is especially powerful:
- Catch young people before addiction takes hold
- Prevent criminalization of vulnerable individuals
- Empower families seeking court-ordered intervention
- Ensure accountability through measurable outcomes
This approach reflects lessons learned across the state. Kentucky’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission awarded nearly $20 million to 75 community organizations in March 2025, splitting support nearly evenly between treatment/recovery and prevention. Louisville’s local effort aligns with this broader model—and LAC is perfectly positioned to be a key participant.
What to Watch: The Next 24 Months
- Enrollment data: number of students engaged in in-school and after-school programs
- Mental health support metrics: utilization and referral outcomes linked to nurse and health worker roles
- Diversion outcomes: citations filed, services engaged, and legal resolutions avoided
- Casey’s Law usage: number of petitions submitted, evaluations completed, and court orders issued
- Program evaluations: third-party findings on success rates, cost-effectiveness, and recommendations
Challenges Ahead
Reports from Louisville Public Media flagged concerns that the diversion program, in particular, lacked defined operational protocols
The Metro Budget Committee pushed for clarity, underscoring the need for transparent frameworks, especially when programs aim to divert people from legal consequences.
Funding is also temporary. With millions flowing in from settlements over the next two decades, Louisville must build sustainable, scalable models—not stop-gap solutions. That requires shared data infrastructure, inter-agency coordination, and policy commitments that outlast one-time appropriation.
Planting Seeds for Sustainable Recovery
Louisville’s latest $2.9 million from the opioid settlements doesn’t just support programs—it supports a vision:
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Healthy children who learn about addiction before it becomes an issue
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Individuals living on the streets who find pathways out of the criminal justice system
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Families whose loved ones get treatment with court support
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A community that measures results and learns what truly works
Louisville Addiction Center has the expertise, track record, and partnerships to weave itself into every strand of vision. By aligning strategic capacity with community funding flows, LAC can help transform one-time settlement dollars into decades-long progress in the fight against addiction.
The road ahead will require collaboration and clear metrics. But if Louisville stays the course—building on data-driven prevention, justice reform, family empowerment, and accountability—the ripple effects of today’s funding could be felt for years to come.
| Medically Reviewed By: Board-Certified Psychiatrist and Addictionologist |
| Clinically Reviewed By: Board Certified Clinical Social Worker |
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