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Health official: county received $28 million from opioid settlement; workforce gaps limit rapid clinic expansion
Summary
County health officer said Prince George's County will receive $28,000,000 over 18 years from opioid settlement funds and the health department has applied for and received federal 'Ending the HIV Epidemic' funds (initial year about $6.7M, baseline now at least ~$3M annually); staff warned recruitment and staffing shortages constrain rapid service expansion.
County health officials told the Board that opioid settlement money is being organized into an abatement task force and that the county expects to receive $28,000,000 over 18 years to support prevention and abatement work.
"We we are getting, $28,000,000 over 18 years," the county health officer said, describing the settlement funding and the newly formed opioid prevention team. Staff said the department has hired an experienced coordinator to lead the initiative.
On HIV-specific federal funding, presenters said Prince George's County was included among jurisdictions selected for the federal "Ending the HIV Epidemic" initiative; the county received an initial award (staff cited $6.7 million for year one), with annual allocations since that have been lower but currently amount to at least about $3 million per year. The department also described constraints tied to Ryan White EMA structure that limit direct federal eligibility for some funding streams.
Several council members and staff emphasized that funding alone will not immediately expand clinic hours because recruiting trained public-health staff is difficult; presenters said that even with funds, opening another full-service clinic would take time for hiring and training.
