Adams County commissioners passed a resolution Tuesday distributing almost $6 million in opioid settlement funds to 19 organizations throughout the county.

This is the third round of grant funding from the Colorado Opioid Framework, which was created in 2021 to distribute money from lawsuits the Colorado Department of Law wins against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors across the state for addiction treatment, recovery and prevention programs.

The framework created the General Abatement Fund Council and 19 Regional Opioid Abatement Councils to oversee distribution of the funds.

Of the $5.7 million going to organizations in Adams County, $3.1 million is going to new organizations that haven’t received abatement funds in the past.

Kelly Weidenbach, the vice chair of Adams County’s Opioid Abatement Council, said this cycle is dedicated to substance use and the downstream impacts of overdoses and overdose deaths.

“Our investments will strengthen partnerships through community organizations, criminal justice and law enforcement, public health, human and social service systems and through workforce development for professionals who treat and support individuals living with substance use disorders,” Weidenbach said. “Together, these efforts represent not only a strategy, but a commitment to healthier families, safer communities and neighborhoods and stronger futures.”

New organizations getting funding in the third cycle include Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness, CrossPurpose, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Porch Light Health, Denver Recovery Group, RedPoint, Servicios de La Raza, Westminster Public Schools, Sober AF Entertainment, All the Way Well, Recovery Friendly Leader and Young People in Recovery.

Other organizations getting funding, which have also been funded in the past, include Stout Street Foundation, City of Thornton, University of Colorado Denver, Community Uplift Partnership, 27J Schools, University of Colorado Anschutz and Kids First Health Care.

Funded programs target treatment, recovery and prevention efforts.

The highest funded organization, getting $760,000, is Servicios de La Raza, which provides trauma-informed peer services and workforce development.

Following the organization in funding amount is the City of Thornton, which is getting $600,000 for its Co-Responder and Connection to Care programs.

“We are trying to save lives, and it’s not just from overdose and addiction,” County Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio said. “We’re trying to save lives so we’re not putting people back up on the ledge they started from, but we’re helping them get away from the ledge … we’re trying to help the whole person and get them on a good path.”