Albuquerque council adopts joint opioid-settlement plan, directs grants for providers and school-based programs

The Albuquerque City Council on April 7 approved a joint cityand Bernalillo County implementation plan for opioid settlement funds that directs the first round of payments toward provider grants, school-based prevention and a city-administered program pool for treatment and community revitalization.

The 8to1 vote adopted the Local Government Coordinating Commission(LGCC) plan and an initial appropriation that directs about $10 million for a provider infrastructure grant program, $2 million for small and medium provider capacity grants and $1.8 million to expand Albuquerque Public Schools(APS) Crossroads school-based behavioral health services this fiscal year; additional appropriations are scheduled in subsequent years.

The LGCC plan and the councilresolution implement recommendations compiled by Bridal Strategies and Vital Strategies after more than 1,700 public comments and multiple town halls. Sponsors framed the package as an effort to move funds quickly to organizations already delivering services while setting guardrails on how settlement dollars are used.

"We wanted to make sure that what we do have makes a noticeable impact," Councilor Grout said during a lengthy program overview,…