Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opioid Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Opioid settlement funds to finance needs assessment for OUD across island towns
Summary
The Opioid Abatement Fund Advisory Board voted to use settlement funds for a community needs assessment of opioid use disorder and co-occurring behavioral health in five of six island towns; MPH students will be contracted to gather data, engage stakeholders and set distribution criteria per the state settlement agreement.
The BOH reported that, on Jan. 7, 2026, the Opioid Abatement Fund Advisory Board voted to allocate settlement funds for a community needs assessment focused on opioid use disorder (OUD) and co‑occurring behavioral health needs in five of the six island towns.
The planned scope includes gathering prevalence data for substance use disorder and OUD in Dukes County, engaging state stakeholders and people with lived experience, surveying existing resources and program capacity, and establishing criteria for distributing funds consistent with the Massachusetts Subdivision Agreement for statewide opioid settlements. The board intends to contract Masters of Public Health graduate students to support the work.
The BOH noted the assessment will inform future local spending decisions from the opioid settlement funds and will be used to align distribution with community needs and the legal requirements of the statewide settlement.
