Title
Opioid Settlement: Special Initiatives for High-Risk Populations
Action
ACTION:
(1) Recognize, receive and appropriate $5.5 Million in Opioid Settlement funds from Wave 2 funding to the Opioid Settlement Special Revenue Fund (OPIS).
(2) Adopt the resolution entitled “Resolution of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Directing $5.5 Million in Second Round Opioid Settlement Fund Expenditures for High-Risk Populations.
Staff Contact: Dena Diorio, County Manager
Marcus Boyd, Behavioral Health Program Manager
Tyrone C. Wade, County Attorney
Presentation: Yes
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
Mecklenburg County joined the national settlement Memorandum of Agreement between the State of North Carolina and Local Governments outlining the distribution of any proceeds relating to the settlement of opioid litigation, and any subsequent settlement funds that may come into North Carolina as a result of the opioid litigation against companies engaged in the manufacturing, distribution, and dispensing of opioids, including settlements with drug distributors Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen, and the drug maker Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, referred to as Wave 1 of the Opioid Settlement. Wave 2 Additional Settlements with Additional Settling Defendants Walmart, Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Allergan Finance, LLC, Allergan Limited, CVS Health Corporation, CVS Pharmacy, Inc., and Walgreen Co., as well as their subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, and directors named in the Additional Settlements and the Kroger Settlement will be disbursed to Mecklenburg County as well.
As part of the Opioid Settlement, Mecklenburg County will receive $74,854,434 over a sixteen-year period from 2022 and 2038. Pursuant to the NC Memorandum of Agreement (which provides policy guidance for use of the funds), Mecklenburg County is utilizing Exhibit A strategies to address the opioid overdose epidemic.
The recommendations and existing investments have been informed by insights from multiple opioid settlement community meetings, input from the Substance Use Disorder Task Force, best practice research, and dialogue with local advocates, subject matter experts and many other stakeholders.
For the second round of Opioid Settlement investments, three new Exhibit A strategies are recommended to focus on high-risk populations both in the community and in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center:
• Post Overdose Response Team
• Addiction Treatment for Incarcerated Persons
• Reentry Programs
For the second round of investments, it is also recommended to increase funding to the following strategy area to ensure availability of the overdose reversal medication in Mecklenburg County:
• Naloxone Distribution
PROCUREMENT BACKGROUND:
N/A
POLICY IMPACT:
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
$5.5 Million increase in Opioid Settlement Special Revenue Fund (OPIS) revenue and associated expenses.