Title
Receive a presentation and vote to adopt a resolution by the County of Chatham to direct the expenditure of $1.29 million in Opioid Settlement Funds during fiscal years 2026-2028 to support the following strategies: 1. Collaborative Strategic Planning 2. Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment 3. Recovery Support Services 4. Early Intervention 5. Naloxone Distribution 6. Recovery Housing
Abstract
Introduction & Background: In July 2021, North Carolina announced a $26 billion agreement with pharmaceutical distributors of opioids to bring resources to communities harmed by the opioid epidemic. The agreement resolved litigation over the role of four companies in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. A second settlement provides additional funding. In total, Chatham County is slated to receive approximately $5.45 million in Opioid Settlement Funds through 2038, with the potential for additional settlements in the future.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted in March 2023, November 2023, and March 2024 to adopt resolutions to direct the expenditure of opioid settlement dollars toward strategies recommended by the Sheriff’s Prevention Partnership on Controlled Substances. This funding authorization expires June 30, 2025.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will receive a presentation outlining progress on opioid overdose prevention and response strategies to date. In addition, a proposed budget for the use of Opioid Settlement Funds through June 30, 2028 will be presented.
Discussion & Analysis: Per the terms of the Settlements, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners must approve the proposed budget. Five of the six proposed strategies were included in previous budgets. The sixth, Recovery Housing, was identified as a need in community meetings and surveys regarding use of these funds conducted in 2024 and by members of the Partnership. The total amount for the three-year requested budget is $1.29 million, or an average of $430,000 per year. A three-year budget is being proposed to allow continuity of services across fiscal years.
Funding for the Collaborative Strategic Planning strategy ($330,000) will be used to support the Opioid Overdose Prevention Coordinator role at the Chatham County Public Health Department, meetings and other operational expenses. This role coordinates county-wide overdose prevention efforts and facilitates the Sheriff’s Prevention Partnership on Controlled Substances. The partnership is a county-wide collaborative that focuses on strategic planning to “address opioid misuse, addiction, overdose or related issues…” This aligns with guidance in Exhibit A of the MOA for this strategy.
Funding for the Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment strategy ($330,000) will be used to support evidence-based addiction treatment consistent with the American Society of Addiction Medicine’s national practice guidelines for the treatment of opioid use disorder. Directly funding treatment will remove barriers to care for uninsured and underinsured patients. According to the Community Opioid Resources Engine for North Carolina (CORE-NC), “the use of FDA-approved medications for OUD have been shown to have multiple benefits including reducing cravings/withdrawal symptoms, overdose deaths, and the transmission of communicable diseases, while improving an individual’s quality of life.”
Funding for the Recovery Support Services strategy ($150,000) will be used to support people in treatment or recovery in accessing addiction treatment, recovery support, harm reduction services, primary healthcare, or other services or supports they need to improve their health or well-being. This strategy encompasses a wide range of interventions to empower people who use drugs or who are in recovery to improve their health and wellbeing.
Funding for the Early Intervention strategy ($120,000) will be used to fund programs, services, or training to encourage early identification and intervention for children or adolescents who may be struggling with problematic use of drugs or mental health conditions. According to CORE-NC, “these interventions empower people to understand and address the underlying issues that accelerate drug use.”
Funding for the Naloxone Distribution strategy ($210,000) will be used to support programs or organizations that distribute naloxone to people at risk of overdose or their social networks. According to CORE-NC, “expanding access to naloxone through various community settings is a key strategy in reducing overdose deaths. Multiple research studies have found that communities with naloxone distribution programs have reduced opioid overdose deaths and use of opioid. Naloxone distribution saves lives.”
Funding of the Recovery Housing strategy ($150,000) will be used to fund programs offering recovery housing support to people in treatment or recovery, or people who use drugs, such as assistance with rent, move-in deposits, or utilities; or fund recovery housing programs that provide housing to individuals receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid use disorder.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: Aligns with Plan Chatham Objective 10: Foster a healthy community. The comprehensive plan proposes the related strategy to “coordinate funding and partnerships to improve health outcomes, impact current health needs (obesity, healthcare, and mental health which includes substance abuse and tobacco prevention and control), and future needs that may be identified.”
Budgetary Impact: The Opioid Settlement Funds have already been received by the County. This resolution will allow up to $1.29 million of those funds to be allocated toward 1. Collaborative Strategic Planning 2. Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment 3. Recovery Support Services 4. Early Intervention 5. Naloxone Distribution and 6. Recovery Housing from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.
Recommendation/Motion: Motion to adopt a resolution by the County of Chatham to direct the expenditure of $1.29 million in Opioid Settlement Funds during fiscal years 2026-2028 to support the following strategies: 1. Collaborative Strategic Planning 2. Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment 3. Recovery Support Services 4. Early Intervention 5. Naloxone Distribution 6. Recovery Housing.