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Berks County opioid settlement update: $24.99M projected, $3.45M on hand and priorities include jail MAT and treatment court
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Summary
Opioid settlement coordinator Jeff Allman and COCA staff told commissioners the county has a projected $24,988,121 from settlements over 18 years, about $3.45 million available now, and ongoing priorities include a jail MAT program (~$800,000/year), treatment court support and an RFP process for community programs.
Jeff Allman, Berks County opioid settlement funds coordinator, and Kathy of the Council on Chemical Abuse (COCA) gave the commissioners an update on April 16 on how the county is deploying opioid settlement money and the processes used to select and monitor programs.
Allman reported a projected total of $24,988,121 to the county over an 18-year period and said the county has received $6,695,814 through 2024 plus $1,986,449 in 2025 receipts that remain on hand. "The total current projected amount, what we've received and what we expect to receive as of this moment, is $24,988,121," Allman said. He added that remaining future disbursements are estimated at about $16,305,858 through 2038 and noted that some remnant settlements (for example from Purdue and other defendants) may add additional funds when finalized.
Kathy, speaking for COCA (the county's contracted manager of the funds), described the county's RFP process, contract monitoring and reporting routines. She said COCA and county staff review proposals to ensure they meet Exhibit E permissible uses in the settlement agreement and that COCA conducts at least annual monitoring of contracted programs to review compliance and quality. "Opioid settlement funds are the only reason that we were able to fund an expanded MAT, medicated assisted treatment program at the prison," Kathy said, adding that the jail MAT program has a roughly "$800,000 a year price tag."
Allman provided a breakdown of receipts and expirations: of roughly $6.7 million received in 2023–24, a Walmart-set-aside of $1,000,004.67 has an expiration date of 06/15/2028; 2025 receipts included base disbursements and a $129,739 McKinsey-related payment with no expiration. He said the county's current available balance (including reserves) is about $3,454,303 and that the county's annual budget for these programs is roughly $2,250,000, driven largely by jail MAT, treatment court and outpatient services.
Allman and Kathy emphasized transparency and coordination: COCA posts program lists and financial reports on its website, they report semiannually to the Pennsylvania Opioid Abatement Trust and they coordinate with the district attorney's separate funding to minimize duplication. Allman said Penn State compiles county reports and that those reports are publicly accessible for cross-county comparisons.
COCA described having run RFPs in 2023 and 2025 and said it may run another RFP late this year or early next year depending on available funds. Staff said they are moving toward more formal program evaluation but do not expect evaluation results next year to provide definitive cure counts; rather, early evaluations will inform process improvements and longer-term outcome measurement.
The board did not vote on new opioid-funded programs during the meeting; Allman and COCA staff said they will continue to work with county staff and an ad-hoc county coalition to vet future proposals and bring recommendations back to the commissioners.
