A Pathway to Hope, Part 1: Poverty and the Opioid Crisis

Uncover the foundations of the Opioid Settlement, how and why they were established, the challenges they have faced, and what success looks like as community leaders move forward with their individual missions.

The opioid epidemic has devastated communities across the United States. The National Opioids Settlement and other settlement agreements have created a sense of hope for families and communities affected by the opioid crisis and provided a profound opportunity for states across the nation to begin to repair the damage the epidemic has wrought.

This event was the opening discussion at the University of Notre Dame’s Summit on the Opioids Settlement: A Pathway to Hope which focused on how to most effectively distribute the nearly $50 billion in settlement dollars to maximize the impact on our communities and citizens.

Held in August 2024, this summit brought together attorneys general from across the country to discuss best practices to proactively evaluate the efficacy of opioid abatement programs and develop strategies to best distribute the funds. Led by the University of Notre Dame’s Poverty Initiative, the summit explores how evidence-based practices can inform decision making and ensure that the Opioids Settlement best helps those victims it is meant to serve.

Speakers:

• Jim Sullivan ’93, director of the Poverty Initiative, academic director and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame
• Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame
• Rev. Edward “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C., president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame
• David Go ’01, vice president and associate provost for academic strategy and the Viola D. Hank Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame
• Jonathan Board, Executive Director, West Virginia First Foundation
• Don Mason, Board Chair, One Ohio Recovery Foundation
• Alisha Nelson, Executive Director, One Ohio Recovery Foundation

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