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Montgomery County outlines opioid-settlement spending; peer-support program praised at public meeting
Summary
At an annual meeting required by opioid settlements, Montgomery County officials outlined spending priorities including peer support, naloxone distribution, recovery housing and transportation; a local resident credited the peer-support specialist with helping her access treatment and avoid prison.
Montgomery County held its annual public meeting on opioid-settlement funds during the board's December 2024 session, outlining how the county has spent settlement proceeds and inviting public comment on future uses.
County officials said the settlements — agreements with manufacturers, distributors and dispensers of opioids — will deliver funds through 2038. At the meeting staff reported the county has committed $455,000 so far to recovery-related efforts, including peer support through First Health, naloxone distribution, recovery housing with Samaritan Colony Treatment Center, transportation tied to recovery services and an early-intervention youth-and-family program run through Crawford Extension. Officials also said a Vital Strategies grant of about $69,000–$70,000 per year for three years is leveraging local spending on peer support and naloxone distribution.
Two people spoke about the county's peer-support program. Laura Privet, who identified herself as a Montgomery County resident, described entering the county jail and being connected by a peer-support specialist, Crystal Weatherly, to treatment and legal support. Privet said Weatherly arranged transportation, coordinated with the district attorney and a lawyer, and helped her secure treatment that allowed her to reduce legal penalties. "If it wasn't for Crystal, I probably would have gone to court and gone to prison," Privet said.
County staff also reported overdose figures to the board. According to the presentation, the county recorded more than 220 reported overdoses in 2022; staff said that after the peer-support specialist position began in 2023 the county recorded a notably lower count (speaker said "44" for 2023) and that, as of the current year, there have been 50 reported overdoses and one fatality. The presenter emphasized that multiple factors affect overdose trends and that the peer-support program is one contribution to the county's response.
The meeting was advertised as the required annual public meeting under the opioid-settlement agreements for public input on spending. Officials invited town representatives to comment as well and asked members of the public to contact staff with questions. No formal board action on settlement policy or spending was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
