Tulsa County invests $4.5 million in opioid fight, parents of victims react

Grants to Fight the Opioid Crisis in Tulsa County

The Tulsa County Board of County Commissioners has awarded more than $4.5 million in opioid settlement funds to local organizations working to prevent addiction, expand treatment and recovery options, and strengthen behavioral health supports across the community. Commissioned in 2024, the Tulsa County Community Needs Assessment was commissioned in 2024 and completed in 2025. It provides a roadmap to address opioid-related crises and broader behavioral health challenges. 

"Overall, the opioid overdose rates continue to rise, we're higher than even on the state average, and so the funds are definitely needed here in the country to combat that crisis, and that's what we're hoping to see as a result," said Robert Harmon, the Tulsa County Opioid Abatement Coordinator.

 Who Gets the Money?

The Board of County Commissioners has awarded 16 Tulsa County organizations the funds. The committee awarded nearly 3 years of funding through this settlement.

Funding recipients include:

1. Tulsa County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) – $300,000
2. Tulsa County Alternative Courts – $600,000
3. Tulsa County District Attorney – $315,000
4. Tulsa County Juvenile Bureau – $354,000
5. Phoenix Rising Alternative School Foundation – $273,000
6. Soberlife Recovery Inc. – $120,000
7. BeHeard Movement – $50,000
8. Mental Health Association Oklahoma – $450,000
9. Freedom Ranch / Wings of Freedom – $300,000
10. Crossover Health Services – $450,000
11. JusticeLink with Housing Solutions – $600,000
12. Eden Village of Tulsa – $140,000
13. The Elevate Project – $160,000
14. Tulsa Area United Way – $100,000
15. John 3:16 Mission – $150,000
16. The University of Tulsa – $200,000

Reaction from Those Who've Lost a Loved One

For Rebekah Brown and Nancy Solomon, life changed forever in 2021. Rebekah lost her 18-year-old son, Cole, and Nancy lost her 40-year-old son Joe, both to overdoses of opioids. Now, through their nonprofit Families Supporting Families, they’re committed to turning the crisis around. 

"We have a pretty good idea of what we think as a group should happen in order to stop it. We've lived with it," said Brown.

Brown says Families Supporting Families actually applied for part of the grant and wasn’t selected, but it holds onto hope that the money will be used properly. And though it might not bring their kids back, the women are confident the work they do—and what this money will do—could save others.

"We're all for anybody who wants to help stop people from dying from opioids, and that's really what that money is for," said Brown.

Harmon says this might not be the only round of opioid grant funds coming to the county. He says there may be more applications in the future, but it all depends on more funding.