County Reports $16.6M in Opioid Settlement Funds, Details Early Spending on Recovery Supports

Alamance County officials reported on Nov. 17 how they have spent and planned opioid settlement funds since 2022, describing investments in recovery supports, residential treatment, naloxone distribution and a newly established recovery court.

Ashley Barber, the county’s behavioral health and substance use division director, told commissioners the county is projected to receive $16,600,000 between 2022 and 2038 under the North Carolina memorandum of agreement that governs these settlements. The board previously authorized spending on seven of 12 strategies; Barber said implementation has begun for multiple initiatives but that contracts, hiring and onboarding delayed full 12‑month data for some programs.

Barber summarized outcomes: the county distributed 4,666 naloxone doses, provided 16 trainings that reached roughly 370 people, funded peer support specialists and care navigators ($799,279.43) who served 394 people with opioid use disorder (73% of whom were connected to addiction treatment), and supported residential treatment and reentry programs including a Benevolence Farm contract that connected 92% of participants to housing and employment services.

Barber also reported recovery court began April 25 and currently has 11 participants across three phases; the program is working toward a full docket of 30. She noted some funding categories (notably post‑overdose response) remain in planning and had not yet expended dollars at the time of the report.

What’s next: County staff plan continued contracting and monitoring and expect more robust reporting next year as programs reach longer run‑times and data collection improves.