Sedgwick County and Wichita Open Four RFPs for Opioid Settlement Funds, Targeting Treatment, Prevention, and Integrated Care
Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita have released four requests for proposals to spend Kansas opioid settlement funds on prevention, harm reduction, integrated care, and expanded treatment capacity.
WICHITA, Kan. — Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita have released four requests for proposals to spend opioid settlement dollars on substance use prevention and treatment services, opening a competitive process that will shape how the region's share of Kansas's more than $340 million in settlement funds reaches people affected by addiction.
The RFPs, released July 30 in partnership with the Wichita-Sedgwick County Addiction Intervention Coalition (WSCAIC) advisory group, invite community organizations to propose programs across four intervention strategies: stigma reduction and community education, integrated care, overdose prevention initiatives, and expansion of treatment capacity. Proposals are due September 15, with funding awards expected in November 2026.
The Four Funding Priorities
The four RFP categories reflect the strategic plan the county and city adopted after a 2023 needs assessment conducted with the Steadman Group, a consulting firm that worked with local healthcare providers, first responders, and educators to identify gaps in the region's addiction response:
- Stigma Reduction, Community Outreach and Education — multifaceted, culturally sensitive, evidence-based campaigns to increase awareness and reduce the stigma that keeps people from seeking help.
- Integrated Care — sustainable models that foster collaboration across providers to address the complex, overlapping needs of people with substance use disorders.
- Overdose Prevention Initiatives — culturally responsive prevention and harm reduction services aimed at reducing substance use risk and overdose incidence, while building community and youth resilience.
- Expansion of Treatment Capacity — financially sustainable, comprehensive treatment services designed to make every level of care accessible and equitable.
That last category matters in a region where treatment slots have historically lagged behind need. Expanding capacity means more than adding beds — it includes the counseling, medication-assisted treatment, and recovery support services that determine whether someone can enter care when they are ready.
Where the Money Comes From
Sedgwick County and Wichita filed their own legal actions against major pharmaceutical companies in 2017 and 2019 for their role in the opioid crisis, later joining a statewide lawsuit led by the Kansas Attorney General. Kansas has since reached multiple settlements with pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and related firms — agreements that will bring the state more than $340 million over 18 years, through 2038, to treat and fight opioid addiction.
To govern those funds, the Kansas Legislature passed the Kansas Fights Addiction Act in 2021, which created a state grant review board to distribute money recovered through opioid litigation. The Sunflower Foundation, a statewide health philanthropy based in Topeka, administers the state-level grant program. Separately, municipalities and counties receive direct allocations through the Kansas Municipalities Fight Addiction framework — the funding stream behind this week's RFPs.
At the local level, the WSCAIC advisory board provides recommendations on how settlement funds are spent, keeping the process aligned with the community-developed plan. It is a structure designed to prevent a familiar pitfall in settlement spending nationwide: funds drifting into general budgets rather than reaching evidence-based addiction services.
A Long Timeline, A Short Window
The RFP process moves quickly for organizations considering a proposal. A pre-bid informational webinar was scheduled for August 3, with written questions due by August 13 and an addendum posted August 21. Proposals must be submitted before 1:45 p.m. on September 15, followed by an evaluation period running through October 9. Recommendations from the Board of Bids and Contracts — for both the city and county — are expected in October, with formal award presentations to the Wichita City Council and the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners in November.
For community organizations, the practical message is that the window to shape the region's addiction response is now open but narrow. Organizations working in prevention, harm reduction, treatment, or recovery support in the Wichita metro area can find details through the Wichita-Sedgwick County Addiction Intervention Coalition.
What This Means for Families
Settlement-funded RFP cycles like this one are where national opioid litigation becomes local reality. The programs funded through these four categories — stigma reduction campaigns that make it easier to ask for help, integrated care that treats the whole person, overdose prevention that keeps people alive, and expanded treatment capacity that shortens waitlists — directly determine what help looks like when a family in Sedgwick County reaches out.
For families in Kansas who need help now rather than in November, treatment is already available. The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 offers free, confidential, 24/7 referrals to local treatment programs, and Kansas's state-funded providers accept patients regardless of ability to pay. Naloxone, the overdose reversal medication, is available through Kansas pharmacies and community distribution programs — including the Attorney General's Emily's Hope Naloxone Distribution Program — without an individual prescription in most cases.
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