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Acton to establish opioid stabilization fund with roughly $150,000 in settlement proceeds
Summary
John Manjurati said the town has received about $150,000 from opioid settlements and will create an opioid stabilization fund (Article 11) to support prevention and community wellness programs; funds must be placed into a designated account before spending.
Town Manager John Manjurati told attendees the town has received about $150,000 from national opioid settlements and plans to place those proceeds in a dedicated opioid stabilization fund that will appear as Article 11 on the warrant.
"We have about a $150,000 that we received from the opioid settlements, and we can't spend it unless we put it into an account and then set it up to go," Manjurati said, describing eligible uses such as prevention and community-wellness programming and asserting that using settlement funds will avoid drawing on local public-health tax dollars.
Why it matters: Designating the settlement proceeds for opioid-related prevention or treatment programs provides a restricted funding source for public-health activities tied to the opioid epidemic. Manjurati said a community health assessment is underway and forthcoming recommendations may point to specific uses for the funds.
Next steps: The opioid stabilization fund will be established at town meeting if voters approve the associated article; details on program selection and allocation were not finalized at the forum.
