The opioid crisis disproportionately impacts Black Ohioans — so why aren’t more of them on the board dispersing settlement funds?
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WYSO) — Over the course of 18 years, Ohio and its communities are receiving nearly $2 billion from pharmaceutical companies to compensate for harm caused by opioids.
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is charged with distributing 55% of those funds.
But its board lacks racial diversity and that’s caused concern among families and harm reduction groups.
Families and caregivers affected by opioids
At 52 years old, Columbus librarian Yaya Lumpkin never imagined she would be the primary caregiver for two of her grandchildren.
But her daughter is one of tens of thousands of Ohioans struggling with an opioid addiction, so their care has fallen to her.
Now, she’s hopeful that a fraction of the billions of dollars Ohio is receiving in opioid settlement funds will make its way to Black caregivers like her.
“You’re dealing with a lot of older grandparents. A lot of us are 50 and over,” Lumpkin said. “And I get that they want to make sure the money is being used right. But we ain’t looking to take this money and go party. We need money to take care of these kids.”
The opioid crisis disproportionately affects families of color. A CDC report shows Black Americans saw a 44% increase in overdose deaths in 2020, the greatest spike among all racial and ethnic groups. The study also found unequal access to treatment and resources have led to a surge in addiction and overdoses among Black people.
The opioid settlement funds are meant to help fight the crisis.
Diversity on the OneOhio Recovery Foundation board
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation, a nonprofit with a board made up of volunteer members, is charged with distributing the majority of that money. But some addiction advocates worry it’s not representative of Ohio’s population.
Only two of the board’s 29 members are Black, even though 14% of the state’s population is Black, and Black men have had the highest rate of drug overdose deaths in Ohio since 2017.
Yvonka Hall is with the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition — one of the groups applying for settlement funds. She said it’s not just about who’s on the board, but their approach to addiction recovery.
“Even if there is diversity, do they understand the impact of the opioid crisis on the African American community and why it’s important for them to make sure that there’s equitable allotments of funds to African American organizations?” Hall said.
The Opioid Policy Institute has been tracking opioid settlement distributions across the U.S.
Director Jonathan Stoltman said they’ve found that considering the voices of marginalized groups is often an afterthought.
“Community members, understandably, are very upset,” Stoltman said. “The fact that we’re still having these issues around how the makeup of the board is just so inadequate is a real lack of recognition from the state that they’re not really fulfilling the needs of the people that are impacted.”
But Alisha Nelson, a Black woman who’s the CEO of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, pushes back. She says the makeup of the board will not negatively impact the way the funds are distributed.
“We’ve really been working with the boards, working with our foundation board, and instilled upon those groups the importance of diversity and the understanding that everyone doesn’t all look the same,” Nelson said. “Everyone doesn’t have that same background either socioeconomically, racially, culturally.”
She also said the board is encouraging organizations working with minority groups to apply for grant funding.
Looking ahead for OneOhio
The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is beginning to award its first round of grants — more than $50 million is on the table this cycle alone.
Organizations supporting families and caregivers, like the Ohio Federation of Health Equity, are preparing to apply. Director Ronald Browder hopes diversity and inclusion will be priorities.
“It is about bringing people to the table who have been marginalized and who have historically not been at the table and saying, you have a right to the table and you have a right to have your voice heard,” Browder said.
With nearly two more decades and millions more to go, it remains to be seen whom the OneOhio Recovery Foundation will prioritize.