Opioid settlement funds for Madison? Health department staff brief commissioners

Johnny Casey, Asheville Citizen Times
·3 min read

MARSHALL - Members of the county health department appeared before the county commissioners Nov. 30 to brief the board on a potential settlement the county could receive as part of a state settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors.

In April 2021, N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein and the state Association of County Commissioners released a Memorandum of Agreement (NC MOA) outlining how the state would use the proceeds of settlements from the three largest distributors - McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen - and one manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, as well as its parent company Johnson & Johnson.

The proposed settlements require that the distributors and J&J pay $26 billion over 18 years, with approximately $22.7 billion available to state and local governments to address the opioid epidemic through treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and other life-saving programs and services, according to Stein and NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen's joint campaign, More Powerful NC.

The Madison County Health Department operates a MOUD (Medications for opioid use disorder)/MAT (Medication-assisted therapy) program to assist county residents struggling with substance use disorder.

Rachel Potter serves as the program's coordinator and bridge counselor.

"This is a huge deal for our county and state," Potter said. "If Madison County participates in the MOA we will be given $1,531,796 per year for 18 years to use, specifically to address the effects of the opioid epidemic. This can go to things such as early intervention and prevention, recovery efforts including education and career services, sober living and treatment facilities, harm reduction services, as well as services for justice-involved individuals and more. This is huge. While it seems like a lot of money, it will go quickly to address the needs in our community."

"The impact of opioids and substance use disorder on Madison County has been "devastating and far reaching,"according to Madison Substance Awareness Coalition Director Heather Sharp.
"The impact of opioids and substance use disorder on Madison County has been "devastating and far reaching,"according to Madison Substance Awareness Coalition Director Heather Sharp.

During the work session, Potter also shared with the commissioners news of an additional grant the health department received from Dogwood Health Trust.

"(Madison Substance Awareness Coalition Director) Heather Sharp and I wrote and were awarded a grant of $173,360 for two years from Dogwood Health Trust for a point person to help the county select how best to use this money and to do the mandatory state reporting," Potter said. "All of the funds awarded through the MOA must be accounted for and reported on to the state. It will appear on their dashboard."

The impact of opioids and substance use disorder on Madison County has been "devastating and far reaching,"according to Sharp.

"The state opioid settlement agreement cannot replace what we have lost but it can certainly help support our county's initiatives to address the epidemic and make a positive change going forward," Sharp said.

The MOA dashboard is available at www.ncopioidsettlement.org.

The Madison County Health Department offers boosters as well as first and second doses Monday-Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

COVID Testing is available at the Madison County Fairgrounds Monday-Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Health department briefs commissioners on potential opioid settlement