Swain County briefed on nearly $3.4 million opioid-settlement funds and local strategy options

Swain County commissioners were briefed on how the county can use just under $3,400,000 from the national opioid settlements, with regional officials urging the county to begin selecting strategies to fund prevention, treatment and recovery services.

The update came from Russ Harris, executive director of the Southwestern Commission, who said the settlement payments are front-loaded and will be paid from 2022 through 2038, allowing projects to start early and taper over time. “It's front loaded so that you can get projects started, and then it kinda tapers off over time a little bit,” Harris said.

The briefing summarized the state-provided menu of strategies, divided into an easier-to-implement Option A and a more planning- and reporting-intensive Option B. Harris read the Option A list to commissioners: collaborative strategic planning; evidence-based addiction treatment; recovery support services; recovery housing support; employment-related services; early intervention services; naloxone distribution; post-overdose response teams; syringe service programs; criminal-justice diversion programs; addiction treatment for incarcerated persons; and reentry programs. Harris said the state has “strongly encouraged counties to choose Option A strategies.”

Harris told commissioners the money is a local-government decision and that the county health department is leading stakeholder work to develop a local plan and recommendations. He said a separate fund to hold the settlement money has already been established and that annual financial and progress reports are required each September even if the county has not yet spent funds. “There's a financial and a progress report due in September every year even if you haven't done anything yet,” Harris said.

A member of the public who spoke during the meeting urged the board to set aside funds for K–12 prevention and school-based mental-health staff. “I am pleading with our leaders to set aside funds for quality prevention K through 12 with consistent monitoring, also with funds for mental health issues in the schools,” the commenter said.

Discussion at the meeting emphasized that counties are not bound long term to a single strategy: Harris noted the county can try one strategy and change course later if outcomes are not achieved. No formal county vote on program selection was taken at the meeting; staff were described as continuing stakeholder work and preparing recommendations for future board action.

What happens next: local stakeholders, led by the county health department, will draft a recommended mix of strategies for commissioners to consider. The county must also satisfy the annual reporting requirement and hold at least one annual public meeting on use of the funds.