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To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute an Operational Agreement for Cooperative Partnerships for Opioid Abatement Authority Award for Hospital Liaison Effort between the City of Richmond, the Counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting a hospital liaison initiative to combat the opioid crisis.
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THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, be and is hereby authorized to an Operational Agreement for Cooperative Partnerships for Opioid Abatement Authority Award for Hospital Liaison Effort between the City of Richmond, the Counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting a hospital liaison initiative to combat the opioid crisis. The Operational Agreement for Cooperative Partnerships for Opioid Abatement Authority Award for Hospital Liaison Effort shall be approved as to form by the City Attorney and shall be substantially in the form of the document attached to this ordinance.
§ 2. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.
City of Richmond
Intracity Correspondence
O&R Transmittal
DATE: January 1, 2026
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH: The Honorable Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor
THROUGH: Odie Donald II, Chief Administrative Officer
THROUGH: Amy Popovich, DCAO for Human Services
FROM: Anna Jones, Opioid Response Strategist
RE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute an Operational Agreement for Cooperative Partnerships for Opioid Abatement Authority Awards between the City of Richmond and Henrico County for the purpose of supporting a Hospital Liaison initiative in collaboration with Henrico County to combat the opioid crisis.
ORD. OR RES. No. ______________________________________________________
PURPOSE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute an Operational Agreement for Cooperative Partnerships for Opioid Abatement Authority Awards between the City of Richmond and Henrico County for the purpose of supporting a Hospital Liaison initiative in collaboration with Henrico County to combat the opioid crisis.
BACKGROUND: Virginia’s Opioid Abatement Authority is an independent body, the purpose of which is to abate and remediate the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth through financial support from the Fund, in the form of grants, donations, or other assistance, for efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioids in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (VOAA) has an annual application cycle that includes a competitive grant opportunity for proposals involving collaborations between two or more localities. During this cycle, the Henrico County, in partnership with the Cities of Colonial Heights and Richmond, and Chesterfield and Hanover counties, submitted a cooperative project proposal. Henrico County will serve as the lead applicant and fiscal agent. On June 18, 2025, the City of Richmond was notified by the VOAA that the cooperative project proposed Henrico County was approved with a locality match of $10,000.00 from Richmond’s individual distribution.
As part of the award conditions, the localities must have a written operational agreement by which the implementing organization agrees to comply with all applicable grant terms, conditions, and assurances. There will be one additional ordinance that will accompany this ordinance that authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the amount of $10,000.00 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority for the purpose of funding the Henrico County OAA Hospital Liaison Grant initiative. This ordinance authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute an Operational Agreement for Cooperative Partnerships for Opioid Abatement Authority Awards between the City of Richmond and Henrico County for the purpose of funding a hospital liaison initiative in collaboration with Henrico County, Hanover County, Chesterfield County, and Colonial Heights City to combat the opioid crisis.
In 2023, Henrico, Hanover, Chesterfield Counties and Richmond City received a planning grant award from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. This new program is a result of the recommendations provided by research conducted by VCU Wright Regional Center for Clinical and Translation Science. During the planning project, it was clear that none of the four localities were receiving referrals from hospitals as required by Virginia Code. The report found “approximately 7% of Virginia women of childbearing age who entered substance use treatment are pregnant at the time of admission (higher than the national average of 4.3%) and an average of nearly seven babies born each month experience neonatal abstinence syndrome.” This should immediately prompt a referral to the Department of Social Services (DSS) and to the local Community Services Boards (CSBs). The Wright Center found that “reporting of neonatal substance use has decreased during the last 3 years, leading to fewer substance using mothers being identified at childbirth and subsequently fewer new mothers being referred to substance use treatment.” Early intervention services for the substance exposed child and treatment for the mother greatly increase the positive outcomes for the family. The localities listed propose a regional effort to address this issue. Henrico County agrees to be the fiscal agent. The proposal includes hiring a two registered nurses to serve as a liaisons between the hospitals, community OBGYNs, DSS and the CSBs. Two RNs will provide education to those in the medical field about the requirements for referring to treatment, substance use identification, trauma informed practices, the benefits of early intervention to avoid neonatal abstinence syndrome and provide proper care for the mother. The RNs will also assist with providing warm handoffs to the community resources and to CSBs for treatment as required.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Opioid abatement and remediation strategies utilized by the City of Richmond have and continue to be informed by significant stakeholder engagement and developed with direct input and support from external agencies and subject matter experts, including those on the Richmond Opioid Task Force. This project was directly informed by the FY2025 OAA grant, identifying a gap analysis in pregnant and parenting populations, a cooperative effort between the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, and Henrico, and the Cities of Colonial Heights and Richmond.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL: RES. 2022-R013 declaring opioid drug overdose deaths as a public health crisis in the City of Richmond; Richmond Opioid Task Force.
FISCAL IMPACT: The funds used for this project are from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. This will decrease the Special Fund Budget by $10,000.00. There is no city match requirement.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: November 10, 2025
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: December 8, 2025
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent agenda
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Education and Human Services
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Budget and Strategic Planning, Finance, Neighborhood and Community Services
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: No relationship to existing Ord. However, this Ordinance has a companion paper being introduced concurrently to authorize acceptance and appropriation of the related funds.
ATTACHMENTS: Opioid Abatement Authority Cooperative Grant for Hospital Liaison Award Letter and Package; Operational Agreement
STAFF: Anna Jones, Opioid Response Strategist, 804-987-9160, Anna.Jones@rva.gov
Jason Alley, Policy Advisor, 804-401-5863, Jason.Alley@rva.gov