Sep 25, 2025 By Mike Jones 3 min read

Washington County has released another round of grants from its portion of the nationwide opioid settlement lawsuit funds, with the awardees focusing on drug recovery efforts, after-school programs and even dentistry services in Avella.

The county commissioners during their Sept. 18 meeting unanimously approved grants to seven entities totaling $318,669 in the fourth round of disbursements since last September that have now topped more than $4.7 million.

This round of recipients are to Beyond Survival Ministries, Inc. for $90,000; Washington County Department of Human Services Avella Wellness Center for $80,000; The Prexie Center for $54,132; Dr. Robert P. Bott, DMD Family and Cosmetic Dentistry in Avella for $43,867; Alumni Holdings LLC for $30,720; The New Hope Center in Washington for $19,250; and St. Andrew the Apostle Parish for $700.

“Each awardee has dedicated a real passion to expand access to services to create transformative impacts that improves lives, strengthens families, and fosters healthier, more resilient communities,” said John Tamiggi, who is director of Washington County’s Department of Human Services.

Before approving the list of grant recipients, the commissioners voted in favor of a memorandum of understanding with Bott for him to utilize the county’s DHS office space in Avella, which will undergo renovations. Bott currently has a dental office in Avella, and the money will be used for the “Brighter Beginnings Recovery Dentistry Program.”

The Prexie Center is an after-school program at Washington High School that opened in 2021 and offers various activities to local students.

Beyond Survival Ministries, Inc. is listed on its website as a Christian faith-based nonprofit that offers support, counseling, workshops and healing ministries to women, teens and children affected by trauma, with locations in Washington, McMurray and Lawrence.

Alumni Holdings LLC is listed in Washington County real estate property records as a South Fayette-based entity, which in December purchased a house listed as a personal care home at 119 W. Lincoln Ave. in McDonald. The home will be transformed into a men’s sober living facility.

The New Hope Center is based in Washington and offers a variety of faith-based services to help with people struggling with addiction or offer counseling, among other programs.

St. Andrew the Apostle, which is the Mon Valley-based Roman Catholic parish overseeing churches in Monongahela, Charleroi and Donora, will offer addiction ministry through the iThirst Spiritual Companionship Training Program.

The county is distributing about $800,000 annually for the next 16 years from its portion of the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust settlement. This was the fourth round of disbursements since the county began selecting programs to fund last September.

“We are proud to announce that the county has awarded over 50 grants that support a diverse range of existing OUD programs, along with a multitude of pilot projects and new initiatives,” Tamiggi said. “These investments reflect our continued commitment to addressing the opioid crisis with innovative, community-driven solutions.”

The deadline to apply for the next round of opioid settlement money is Oct. 8.