Cumberland County updates opioid‑settlement spending; officials report 8 overdoses so far this year

Brenda Eilif Lager, executive director of the criminal county drug and alcohol commission, told the Cumberland County Finance meeting that the county has spent opioid‑settlement funds on medication‑assisted treatment in the county jail, school‑based prevention and specialty courts and on increasing access to naloxone (Narcan).

"The world around us has done that pretty well with changing the whole way we do PDMPs and doctors have to double check and limiting prescriptions," Lager said as she described the county’s mitigation strategy. She said Cumberland County has had eight overdoses so far this year and that last year the county recorded 28 overdoses.

The update said the largest share of settlement spending in the most recent six‑month reporting period went to medication‑assisted treatment (MAT) in the county jail. Lager reported 30 people on methadone and 77 on Suboxone or Subutex at the jail; presenters reported 117 inductions were performed, with 92 ultimately meeting criteria for induction. Presenters said a portion of the jail cost goes to staffing during medication administration and monitoring.

The county is also using funds to support its Student Assistance Program (SAP), which places staff to coordinate school SAP teams and deliver evidence‑based prevention curricula. "This month some of this money is able to help with the staff teams," Lager said, and officials said the county’s recent prevention needs assessment lists vaping, marijuana and alcohol as the top three school‑age concerns.

Presenters reviewed specialty court participation and recidivism data from a 2020 study of nearly 5,000 offenders. Treatment court participation and reoffending figures were discussed as part of the county’s savings analysis. County staff said the TOMS Court saved about $112,710 in 2024 and that roughly 23 percent of TOMS Court participants met criteria for opioid concerns; presenters said the county will reconfigure specialty courts to include a drug and alcohol representative because many participants have co‑occurring needs.

Morgan Goodnight, identified by presenters as the county’s opioid champion, described local and regional efforts to expand naloxone access and an EMS "leave‑behind" pilot being developed in a neighboring county. "Individuals who interact with EMS because of an opioid overdose, if they do a leave behind Narcan kit, either with them or their family member, they're probably times more likely to go to treatment," Goodnight said, summarizing research presented at a recent meeting and urging compassionate post‑overdose contacts by emergency responders.

Officials said Cumberland County has not spent opioid‑trust money on some treatment line items in the most recent period because federal SOAR (State Opioid Response) grant funds covered those services and must be used before they expire. Presenters reported $15,000 was set aside from the trust for one treatment line item. County staff told commissioners they submitted the county’s biannual report to the public trust last week and will present again to the board in September.

Commissioners and staff flagged the time‑limited nature of settlement and grant funds. One commissioner asked, "My concern is when they expire, what do we do? Because these aren't an indefinite solution," noting reliance on these funds to cover ongoing program costs.

Presenters also discussed data limitations: a county study did not separate opioid use for people under 20 and showed that stimulant use (methamphetamine) is more common in that age group. County staff said they will supply additional statistics on youth vaping and other prevention measures when available.

No formal changes to county policy or new appropriations were taken at the meeting; the presentation was an update on current spending, program activity and reporting to the public trust. County staff recommended continuing existing programs funded through the trust while tracking when temporary funding sources will end.