hands holding hands as a sign of mutual support

Opioid Settlement Spending Plan

Mecklenburg County will receive more than $72 million over the next 18 years to apply toward solutions to the opioid epidemic in our community.

In July 2021, a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general announced the National Opioid Settlement – a historic $50 billion agreement that will help bring desperately needed help to communities harmed by the opioid epidemic. The state of North Carolina and all 100 counties, including Mecklenburg County, joined the agreement. Mecklenburg County is expected to receive $73 million over an 18-year period.

Wave One Spending Plan

County leaders, healthcare partners, providers, stakeholders and those with lived experience contributed to the Wave One - Opioid Settlement Spending Plan

  • $4 million - Expand opioid addiction treatment services for the uninsured and underinsured in partnership with Alliance Health.

  • $540,000 - increase the availability of harm reduction resources such as naloxone distribution and syringe service programs.

Cover image for the Opioid Settlement - Wave One Spending Plan (2023 - 2025)

 

Community Engagement

Each year, Mecklenburg County will hold a community engagement event to gather input on the use of opioid settlement funds.

So far, events have been held on Oct. 27, 2022 and Nov. 7, 2023, both at the Valerie C. Woodard Center in Charlotte.

Meeting materials and video recordings from the events can be found below.

 

Download meeting materials from the community engagement events.

Community Meeting Video Recordings

Nov. 7, 2023

Oct. 27, 2022

Opioid Settlement Grants

From July 15 to Aug. 15, 2023, Mecklenburg County accepted funding applications from organizations that provide opioid addiction treatment and other substance use and mental health services. More than $6 million in grant was allocated through a competitive community proposal process. The County accepted submissions based on the following categories of opioid treatment and addiction-related services for FY24 and FY25:

  • Employment-Related Services - $525,000

  • Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment - $750,000

  • Early Intervention - $750,000

  • Recovery Support Services - $1 million

  • Recovery Housing Support - $3 million

On Thursday, July 13, 2023, the County held an information session to educate organizations about the application process, eligibility, and reporting requirements to qualify for Mecklenburg County’s Opioid Settlement funding. The PowerPoint presentation is available for review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions?

If you have questions about the Opioid Settlement Spending Plan, please reach out.