El Dorado opioid task force reports $79,000 in settlement funds, outlines outreach and Narcan distribution

Rhiannon, a presenter for the El Dorado Community Coalition, told the City Commission that the group has received just over $79,000 in opioid settlement funds and has spent about $28,000 on local outreach and resources.

The coalition — formed from the former opioid task force at the direction of City Manager David Dilner — has used funds to host three town-hall events (two at the Civic Center and one at Butler Community College) and to create a QR-linked resource list for people with substance-use disorders and their families, Rhiannon said. “So far, overall, we've received just over $79,000 in settlement funds. And to date, we've used just over 28,000 of those dollars,” she said.

Deputy Chief Scott Steuben of EMS, who accompanied the presentation, summarized local emergency-response data covering Jan. 1, 2023, through Feb. 5, 2025. “In 2023, we totaled out 39 overdose calls. And in 2024, we totaled out 32 overdose calls,” he said, adding the combined total of 71 calls includes a range of dispatch outcomes from nonfatal overdoses to cardiac arrests. Steuben cautioned the dispatch data are not always specific to fentanyl: “This could be something as simple as, I took too much of my… medication, so I've possibly overdosed.”

Steuben said the coalition has recorded four overdose cardiac-arrest calls during that period, and credited heightened public awareness and local services with helping keep those numbers lower than earlier peaks. He encouraged wider distribution of naloxone and explained how it works: “If someone is overdosing and they are administered Narcan, they will start breathing again so long as they have a pulse.”

Rhiannon said some settlement-funded activities included printed outreach materials and participation in community events; one town hall at Butler Community College drew about 175 attendees. She also noted the coalition is making naloxone vouchers available for pickup at TrueCare in El Dorado and offered to connect residents to the vouchers.

The presenters said the coalition will continue regular meetings (the next meeting was announced for the coming Thursday) and emphasized outreach to families, students and people who use drugs. No formal action was taken by the commission during the presentation.

The update included references to a visiting speaker, Tony Hoffman, a former Olympic BMX competitor who has worked in recovery programs and spoke at a coalition event; the commission did not take action following the presentation.