Cumberland County updates commissioners on opioid settlement spending, prison MAT and prevention efforts

Cumberland County Drug and Alcohol staff updated the commissioners on the county’s use of opioid settlement funds, reporting program activity, outcomes and planned future funding opportunities tied to national legal settlements.

Brenda (Drug and Alcohol Department) and colleagues told the board that the county’s mitigation strategy focuses on reducing the oversupply of prescription drugs in communities, expanding access to naloxone, increasing access to opioid use disorder treatment, expanding prevention and early‑intervention efforts and partnering with criminal justice to support diversion and recovery programs. The county presented a six‑month status report to the board and to the opioid trust, as required.

Staff said county‑funded programs have seen measurable activity. For the jail MAT program, county staff reported $359,972 spent over the reporting period, most of which covered salaries for Prime Care staff who operate the MAT program inside the prison. The county highlighted the RAISE project and two certified recovery specialists who work in the jail and provide weekly groups, release planning and intakes to continue care in the community. Staff said 55 people were inducted into MAT in the reporting period (57 intakes with two denied for not meeting clinical criteria), and 37 Cumberland County residents who were in the jail’s MAT program were followed to community care through the RAISE project.

Rebecca (prison MAT staff) said the county requires counseling and participation components in addition to medication, and that staff perform daily engagement checks; clinical decisions on initiation before release may occur when clinically appropriate and signed by the prescriber. Staff emphasized they monitor for diversion risk inside the jail and balance medical need with security considerations.

On broader settlement funds, staff said Cumberland County has signed onto the Purdue Sackler settlement and a separate settlement with a group of generic manufacturers (described in the briefing as a ‘‘secondary manufacturer settlement’’). Officials said more precise allocations from those settlements should be known in early 2026, and that county receipt of funds will follow trust processes and Exhibit E spending rules; the trust must also approve local spending plans. Staff noted the trust has increased transparency, citing a public website (address read from the presentation) where counties’ spending and program descriptions are visible.

On prevention and community programming, staff said local needs assessments and focus groups identify vaping, marijuana and alcohol as growing concerns alongside opioids. Commissioners and staff discussed that prevention programs must be evidence‑based; county prevention staff said the county funds school‑based life‑skills and student assistance programs and is receiving additional requests for prevention work. Staff briefed the board that naloxone distribution continues: county distribution totaled 692 boxes in the first six months of the reporting year and additional community events are planned, including a Save a Life day on Sept. 25 at Veterans Park.

Staff also reviewed specialty courts and data shifts after the court reorganization in July: the share of people in mental health courts with opioid use disorder declined, while drug courts now show higher shares of individuals with opioid histories. Staff stressed that settlement funds must be used in line with Exhibit E (the trust’s spending rules) and that the trust’s technical assistance process can help but does not provide definitive pre‑approval on novel programs.

Commissioners asked for additional outcome data, including recidivism and engagement metrics, and staff agreed to provide more detailed evaluations at a future briefing. Staff also noted that national overdose counts have declined in recent measurements and that local overdose deaths remain a concern; the county coroner’s data cited fentanyl mixed with stimulants in several recent deaths. Commissioners voiced interest in shifting more resources to prevention as the epidemic evolves.

No formal board action was taken on the presentation; the briefing provided situational awareness, program performance and options for future allocations subject to trust approval.