AUSTINTOWN — The local board that will determine how dollars from the OneOhio National Opioid Settlement are distributed over the next 18 years met for the first time this week. There are 19 regions throughout the state, and Trumbull and Mahoning counties make up Region 7. The Region 7 board is comprised of 11 people.

From each county, there is the director of the mental health and recovery board, a representative nominated by the township association, a representative nominated by the mayors, an individual with lived experience of the opioid epidemic selected by the commissioners in his or her respective county, and one individual with professional experience in prevention, treatment or abatement, also selected by the commissioners in their respective county. The CEO of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, a local resource for those aging and with disabilities, also is on the board.

At its meeting Monday at Direction Home in Austintown, the board had elections for its executive board members and passed bylaws. Those who were elected will serve two-year terms and can serve up to three terms. The members are:

l Duane Piccirilli, executive director of the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board;

l April Caraway, executive director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, who was elected chair of the board;

l Poland Township Trustee Eric Ungaro, as the Mahoning County Township Association representative;

l Kinsman Township Trustee Greg Leonhard, as the Trumbull County Township Association representative;

l Youngstown Health Commissioner Erin Bishop, as the member chosen to represent Youngstown, appointed by Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown;

l Licensed professional counselor Hannah Petrosky, as the representative chosen by the Trumbull County mayors;

l Victor Daprile, an individual with lived experience of the epidemic from Mahoning County, who was elected treasurer;

l Linda Spies, an individual with lived experience of the epidemic from Trumbull County;

l Joe Rossi, CEO of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, who was elected secretary;

l Carolyn Givens as the individual with professional experience from Mahoning County, who was elected vice chair of the board; and

l Sarah Volinchack as the individual with professional experience from Trumbull County.

VALUED INSIGHT

Several of the board members have experience with loved ones who struggled with addiction, which Piccirilli said will provide valuable insight as funds are distributed. While the exact amount of money that will come down to the Mahoning Valley over the next 18 years is unknown, Piccirilli said the region should get around 5 percent of the total money from the settlement.

Board members will serve until a successor is elected or until resignation, removal or death, according to the bylaws. In the event of a vacancy, the successor will be appointed by the original appointing authority for the position. The board may vote to invite advisers to assist it, such as members of the judicial, criminal justice or academic communities.

Public meetings must be held quarterly at a minimum. At its first meeting, board members decided to meet monthly for the time being. The next meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Direction Home when the board likely will set priorities and outline a process for accepting and reviewing funding applications.

“The good and bad news is that the state left this so open,” Caraway said. “On one hand, we can taylor it to our community, but on the other, without some guidance, I think we could struggle.”

This is why she said it will be important to outline those procedures at the next meeting. Piccirilli also said that will help the board ensure the funds are used properly.

APPLICATIONS

The Region 7 board will not deal directly with funds. Instead, it will receive applications for funds from local groups and organizations and make recommendations to the state board, which will review the recommendations to make sure the funds are used for a valid purpose as determined by the settlement. The state board is made up of 29 members. Four of the members were selected by the governor, one was selected by the attorney general, four were selected by the state Legislature and the other members will come from each of the 19 regions. Piccirilli is this region’s representative.

He said there were some missteps with how money was distributed in the tobacco settlements, so that money did not always go to prevention, treatment and recovery, which is why the OneOhio Foundation is being so careful with the process for distributing funds in this case.

The foundation will be responsible for 55 percent of the funds earned through the settlement, which it will distribute to the regions through the state board. Thirty percent will be allocated to localities, likely through the governor, to address the immediate needs of residents. The first round of funding for municipalities was announced by Gov. Mike DeWine in July. Fifteen percent will go to the state of Ohio to be used to leverage statewide buying power to offer prevention, treatment and recovery support services.

It is unclear when funds will become available to regions, but it should be around the new year.

escott@tribtoday.com