City of Columbus - File #: 2833-2026

• File #: 2833-2026
• Version: 1
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Consent
• File created: 10/5/2026
• In control: Public Safety & Criminal Justice Committee
• On agenda: 11/16/2026
• Title: To authorize the Director of the Department of Public Safety to accept U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Overdose Data to Action program funding via a sub award from Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) in the amount of $200,000.00; to authorize an appropriation and expenditure of funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements; to appropriate award funds to Columbus Public Safety for expansion of Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team outreach activities; to authorize the appropriation of $200,000.00 from the unappropriated balance of the General Government Grants Fund; and to declare an emergency. ($200,000.00)

Explanation
BACKGROUND: The City of Columbus, Division of Public Safety received 2023 Overdose Data to Action funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) via a sub award from Franklin County Public Health (FCPH). This sub award addresses the local opioid crisis by expanding capacity of Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) and increasing linkage to RREACT outreach and education services. This ordinance accepts and appropriates year four project funds totaling $200,000.00. The 2025 CDC OD2A sub award budget period is September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. The full project period is September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2028. This ordinance authorizes an appropriation of funds upon receipt of annual executed agreements.
Rapid Response Emergency Addiction Crisis Team (RREACT) is an innovative outreach effort addressing the opioid crisis ravaging Columbus, Ohio. RREACT team members go out into the community and do face to face follow up visits with substance users revived from opioid overdose by police or fire first responders but then refuse immediate transport to clinical facilities thereby bypassing treatment and recovery resources available through emergency rooms across the city. RREACT connects with survivors in their neighborhoods within 48 hours of overdose. The team includes a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained peace officer, a paramedic, a social worker and a trauma specialist. The goal of multi-disciplinary outreach team is to help stabilize the household in an effort to reduce barriers to accessing drug and/or behavioral treatment for the substance user.
RREACT will use the CDC OD2A funding for the continued operation of the RREACT EMS/mobile crisis outreach team, dedicated to serving Franklin County neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by opioid-related overdose (zip codes 43204, 43207, 43211, 43223, and 43232) and extending outreach to the underserved minority populations. RREACT will also collab...