Commissioners approve $1.29M opioid settlement spending plan for 2026–2028 to fund treatment, naloxone and recovery services
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Summary
The Board adopted a three‑year spending plan using opioid settlement funds totaling $1,290,000 for FY2026–2028 to support collaborative planning, evidence‑based treatment, recovery support, early intervention, naloxone distribution and recovery housing work. The resolution passed unanimously.
Chatham County commissioners unanimously adopted a resolution April 21 directing $1,290,000 of opioid settlement funds for fiscal years 2026–2028 to support a set of coordinated abatement strategies, including treatment, harm reduction and recovery supports.
County public health staff and the Sheriff’s Opioid Partnership presented the three‑year budget and described prior and ongoing program work funded by opioid settlement receipts. The county anticipates receiving settlement payments through 2038 and estimates the total to date at just over $5.4 million; staff also noted an estimated additional payment tied to the Purdue/Sackler settlement of roughly $575,000 (pending finalization) and said the proposed FY26–28 spending would leave an estimated $4.6 million for later years under current projections.
The Board approved the following FY26–28 allocations (total $1,290,000): collaborative strategic planning $330,000; evidence‑based addiction treatment $330,000; recovery support services $150,000; early intervention $120,000; naloxone distribution $210,000; and recovery housing $150,000. Staff said the planning funds support a coordinator role and the administration of subrecipient grants; evidence‑based treatment funds will underwrite services for uninsured and underinsured residents (including medication‑assisted treatment where appropriate) via contracted community providers.
Program highlights and proposed uses presented to the Board included peer‑support certification courses, transit fare cards and transportation assistance for clients, stipends for people with lived experience serving on advisory groups, naloxone vending and leave‑behind naloxone at overdose scenes, distribution of roughly 1,500 naloxone kits to date, and two subrecipients already contracted to provide evidence‑based treatment. County staff also described outreach, overdose response trainings and an RFP process for funding community partners.
Staff emphasized that the funds are intended to be spent thoughtfully (the technical assistance team had advised that some counties front‑load investment to build capacity), and that evidence‑based recovery housing was added to the FY26–28 plan after community and subcommittee input identified housing support as a top priority.
Key public‑health context in the county presentation: in 2023 Chatham County’s overdose death rate was 24.5 per 100,000 residents compared with 41 per 100,000 for North Carolina; illicit opioids (heroin/fentanyl) accounted for about 70% of overdose deaths in Chatham County in 2023, staff reported. Staff said recent trends show the county’s overdose death rate peaked in 2021 and is trending down.
The Board voted to adopt the resolution and approved the three‑year expenditure plan by a unanimous voice vote. Commissioners asked that staff provide regular updates and agreed staff should continue community engagement and evaluation of program impacts.
(Spending plan is subject to standard grant and contracting processes; staff will return with subrecipient agreements and periodic progress reports.)
