Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall Champions The Helios Alliance’s Project RenewAL to Advance Statewide Opioid Abatement
MOBILE, Ala. — March 31, 2026 — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and The Helios Alliance announced today a collaboration to expand Project RenewAL statewide. This initiative will assist cities and counties across Alabama in spending their opioid settlement resources, continuing the data-driven, grassroots approach that Attorney General Marshall has promoted since the first settlement funds arrived in the State.
Under Attorney General Marshall's leadership, Alabama has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds for the State's cities, counties, and communities. Since 2023, Marshall has urged local governments to invest these resources strategically — working together regionally and with transparency and accountability to the constituents they serve. This collaboration with The Helios Alliance and the Alabama League of Municipalities is the next step in fulfilling that commitment.
"Alabama was among the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic, and we intend to show the nation what lasting recovery looks like. This is a generational opportunity, and it belongs to our local leaders,” said Attorney General Marshall. “No one understands this crisis better than the people living it, and no one has a more important role in solving it. The settlement funds are here, and the Helios approach gives our communities the tools to put them to work."
The Helios Alliance brings a proven track record to this partnership. In Mobile and Mobile County, the Alliance developed and implemented a National Opioid Abatement simulation platform, a State of Alabama platform and, most recently, Project Persevere, a community-wide initiative uniting 16 organizations across the full spectrum of opioid response. Preliminary data from the City of Mobile show results continuing to surpass expectations. The Alliance will now extend that expertise statewide, beginning with a collaborative statewide baseline assessment with the Attorney General's office and the Alabama League of Municipalities.
A joint survey of Alabama municipalities — conducted by The Helios Alliance and the Alabama League of Municipalities, with final results expected in April — has revealed an important opportunity. Many responding cities have requested further guidance on how to spend the settlement dollars properly and effectively. This partnership aims to address that need: offering a transparent, data-driven framework that gives local leaders confidence to act and tools to show results.
“I’ve seen firsthand what happens when policymakers declare victory too soon: funding slows, programs shut down, and communities that were just beginning to recover are left behind,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, the first physician to serve as Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. “Attorney General Marshall and the Helios Alliance are refusing to make that mistake. They are doing the hard work of asking the right questions—where does the money go, how do we know it’s working, and how do we measure results? That is how you build something that lasts,” added Dr. Gupta, who serves on the Helios Alliance Leadership Team. “We cannot allow this crisis to fade into yesterday’s news. More than 77,000 families a year are still losing someone they love. That reality demands sustained focus, accountability, and long-term commitment.”
"Project Persevere proved that a community-driven, data-informed approach works. We are grateful for Attorney General Marshall's leadership and his commitment to ensuring that every Alabama community has the resources and the roadmap to make a real difference," said Caroline Etherton, Chair of The Helios Alliance.
As Attorney General Marshall has said: "We owe it to the People of Alabama to get this right."
Attorney General Marshall provided remarks to attendees of the Coastal Alabama Opioid Abatement Summit, hosted by The Helios Alliance in October 2024.
