Rockingham County officials say opioid settlement funds are being distributed; county to receive about $400,000 in latest round

County officials provided an update Sept. 4 on opioid abatement funds, reporting that New Hampshire has received roughly $97 million in settlement funds and that approximately $77 million of that has been authorized for distribution to programs and subrecipients.

A commissioner said Rockingham County would receive "over 400,000" in the latest distribution and that the county's running total from settlement distributions and grants is more than $2 million plus a separate $2 million grant previously awarded. The commissioner also said one of the earlier reimbursement grants paid nearly $2.2 million for Medicaid-assisted treatment costs incurred by the jail beginning in 2020.

Officials described the reporting and certification process. Counties and municipalities that receive money must submit annual reports to the state Department of Health and Human Services and the attorney general's office, which certifies that funds are being used consistent with the settlement's 14 criteria. A county official said Terry Buffet(t) sent a reminder about a submission deadline (spoken in the meeting as Sept. 1) for municipalities and counties to report to DHHS.

Participants discussed that some jurisdictions had not submitted reports promptly in previous cycles and that the attorney general's office reviews and certifies spending. The county's opioid-abatement committee planned to meet the following Monday.

The board did not take votes on new opioid funding decisions at the Sept. 4 meeting; the session served as an update on distributions, reporting requirements and upcoming committee activity.