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Board approves revisions to Lee County opioid-settlement strategic plan
Summary
Commissioners approved recommended updates to the county's opioid settlement strategic plan (2024–2028), including broader language on peer support, added coordination with reentry council, and exploration of transitional housing and a drug treatment court.
The Lee County Board of Commissioners approved recommended revisions Monday to the county’s opioid settlement strategic plan for 2024–2028, adopting changes proposed by the plan’s steering committee to reflect evolving local needs and program experience.
Emma Bock, a UNC fellow working on the county’s Renew program, and County Attorney Angelina Noel presented the revisions. Bock told commissioners the steering committee recommended changes to three goal areas — recovery, treatment, and prevention/early intervention — while leaving the harm-reduction section unchanged. Revisions include broader, more flexible language to fund peer-support capacity (rather than specifying county employment), added support for coordination with the reentry council, and an action to “explore the need for transitional housing in Lee County.”
Bock also said the county is researching the potential establishment of a drug treatment court and added a citation to an exhibit from the North Carolina Department of Justice. The plan will continue to track program positions established under the Renew program, including a behavioral health clinician and a reentry coordinator, and commit to a triannual SWOT analysis during the fund-expenditure period.
Commissioners asked for clarification about the scope and implementation of the changes. Bock said Lee County currently has no transitional housing for people exiting treatment or reentry programs and that the county is in early-stage discussions with regional partners, including Trillium Health Resources, about models used in other counties. Finance details presented during the discussion identified expected opioid settlement receipts to Lee County totaling $7,885,867 over the 18-year distribution schedule; county staff said allocations are distributed annually on a declining schedule.
After discussion, the board moved and approved the recommended changes. County staff said the strategic plan is a living document and that the steering committee’s recommendations will guide use of settlement funds.
