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Resident urges county to use opioid settlement and COVID funds for treatment and staffing
Summary
During public address at the Oct. 27 meeting, a local nonprofit leader urged commissioners to use opioid settlement and COVID relief funds to hire EMS, DSS and health department staff and to accelerate programs addressing fentanyl deaths.
LEXINGTON, N.C. — During public comment at the Davidson County Board of Commissioners meeting Oct. 27, a resident and nonprofit operator pressed the board to prioritize spending nearly $28.5 million in local opioid settlement funds and previously held COVID relief money on treatment, staffing and public-health responses.
Mister Loomis told the board he expected that COVID relief funds being held for a Sportsplex project should instead be considered for hiring emergency medical services, Department of Social Services and health department staff. “If this is COVID money, how long has this county been holding this money?” he asked. “It could have been used to hire more EMS workers, DSS workers, health department workers, which other counties have done.”
Loomis said the county’s opioid task force is holding “nearly $28,500,000” and urged officials to put the money to use. He cited local fentanyl fatalities and his work running a nonprofit that provides outreach and recovery help: “We have 500 people who have died from fentanyl in Davidson County,” he said, and described assisting people to enter rehab.
Loomis asked the commissioners to prioritize public-health staffing and treatment over large capital projects and to ensure settlement funds reach services he said are needed now. The comments were made during the public address period; no formal action or response by the board is recorded in the meeting transcript.
