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Select Board approves opioid abatement plan to fund part‑time substance‑use coordinator and wraparound services
Summary
The board approved a multi-year strategy to spend opioid settlement funds—prioritizing treatment access, harm reduction (Narcan distribution, sharps disposal), prevention education, wraparound services and a part‑time licensed substance‑use coordinator—after public-health staff presented survey feedback and interdepartmental input.
The Select Board voted Nov. 5 to approve the town’s recommended strategy for spending opioid settlement funds, authorizing a mix of harm-reduction supplies and services, outreach and a part‑time licensed substance‑use coordinator to connect residents to care.
Matthew Brennan, the town’s director of public health, told the board that Foxborough has received roughly $301,000 to date from national opioid settlements and may receive more over time. Staff framed acceptable uses under the statewide subdivision agreement as including treatment and recovery supports, harm reduction, connections to care, services for pregnant and parenting families, and prevention education. Brennan said the recommended plan reflects community input (approximately 96 survey responses) and Board of Health guidance.
The proposal emphasizes multiple simultaneous investments rather than a single line item. It would fund a part‑time substance‑use coordinator (licensed social‑work credentials preferred) to run in‑person clinical support groups, provide brief counseling and help coordinate wraparound services; expand naloxone (Narcan) availability and sharps disposal; support school prevention programs; and create a small Board of Health grant pool for community applicants. "The use of these funds must reflect the input of the community, especially those with lived experience," Brennan said.
Board members debated tradeoffs in the near term: an existing local contract for the Interface program (behavioral-health connections) has costs that overlap with the new state behavioral-health helpline, and there is a roughly $117,000 shortfall relative to one previously discussed program package. Staff noted settlement funds can be rolled forward, not strictly subject to one‑year spend-down, and that the town can reallocate internal grant balances to cover transition costs.
After discussion about program priorities, budgeting and contract timing, the Select Board moved and voted to approve the town’s funding strategy for the opioid-abatement funds. The motion passed by voice vote. Board members said they plan to monitor results and revisit allocations annually to respond to what works for Foxborough residents.
The approved plan calls for periodic review of the part‑time position after several years and does not commit the town to permanence beyond the funded grant period. Implementation will involve public-health, public-safety and school department collaboration and follow standard grant‑management reporting requirements.
