Palm Beach County officials highlight recovery progress, outline opioid-settlement focus on recovery supports
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Summary
County leaders and partners credited harm-reduction programs and expanded medication-assisted treatment with recent declines in local overdoses and said most opioid-settlement dollars will fund recovery supports such as housing, navigation and peer services rather than direct treatment.
James Green, director of Palm Beach County Community Services, hosted a public conversation with State Senator Daryl Roussaint and Anne Berner, president and CEO of the Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network, to review local progress and next steps on substance use and mental health supports.
The guests highlighted measurable results. Green said local programs have “helped reverse almost 250 overdoses” and distributed “over 7,700 Narcan,” and that more than 200 people were referred to treatment through syringe-exchange and outreach efforts. Roussaint, who described his own recovery experience, cited passage of state legislation that incorporated recommendations from a statewide commission on substance use disorder and mental health as a high point of his work.
Why it matters: Palm Beach County faces continuing overdose risk amid fentanyl and emerging substances such as xylazine and ketamine; officials said successful harm-reduction tactics and expanded access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) have reduced deaths and opened pathways to care. Green said the county will prioritize social determinants of health in spending opioid-settlement funds — roughly 90% toward recovery supports (housing, peer navigation, respite) and about 10% toward treatment — to address barriers such as unstable housing and employment.
Program details and next steps included continuing the hospital “bridge” initiative so people entering emergency departments get a certified peer specialist and a warm handoff to treatment, building respite housing for those completing programs, expanding peer recovery supports, and a planned navigation project to help people find local services. Roussaint said he is preparing legislation to address kratom after earlier attempts stalled; he also noted past legislative resistance to MAT and needle-exchange programs and framed current acceptance as progress.
Claims and context: Roussaint tied earlier work on Kratom policy to the late Representative Kristin Jacobs and said new proposals were being developed but not yet filed. The guests repeatedly framed MAT as evidence-based care, and Berner emphasized combating stigma so people seek treatment earlier.
What’s next: County officials said the advisory council created to oversee settlement dollars will guide spending decisions and that partners — including the Health Care District, school district and nonprofit providers — will be central to deploying recovery supports. Officials promised further announcements about a county navigation project and emphasized ongoing outreach and data tracking to sustain reductions in overdose deaths.