Oakland County approves opioid-settlement spending plan as downtown Pontiac businesses press for clinic move

Oakland County commissioners approved a plan to allocate opioid-settlement funds to expand harm-reduction services, hire clinical staff and build a centralized resource directory, after weeks of planning and a lengthy discussion about disruptive behavior around a downtown Pontiac clinic.

The county’s deputy county executive, Madia, told the Board the steering committee’s goal “was to reduce the incidence of opioid overdose in our county and also reduce ... the addiction and misuse of opiates.” The committee has completed listening sessions, mapped treatment and prevention resources and drafted strategic priorities, Madia said.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the plan aims to pair immediate harm-reduction work with sustained investments so local providers can serve people who use drugs without leaving downtown businesses to absorb related public-safety problems. The Board voted 7-0 to carry the measure.

The plan’s core elements, as described to commissioners, are: (1) staffing and infrastructure investments to stabilize provider capacity; (2) expansion of harm-reduction services and warm handoffs into treatment; (3) broader prevention efforts; and (4) infrastructure…