Opioid Settlement Spending Plan
Mecklenburg County will hold a community engagement event to gather input on the use of opioid settlement funds. The event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7 from 8:30 - 11 a.m. at Valerie C. Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive.
Summary
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 $72 million over an 18-year period.
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Opioid Settlement 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.
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Community Engagement
Each year, Mecklenburg County will hold a community engagement event to gather input on the use of opioid settlement funds.
The next event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 from 8:30 - 11 a.m. at the Valerie C. Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive.
You can watch video of the 2022 event below.
Watch video of the Oct. 27, 2022 event
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
The NC MOA governs how North Carolina would use the proceeds of any future national settlement or bankruptcy resolution with five companies over their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The five companies are the “big three” drug distributors (Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen), the opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, and the opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma (now in bankruptcy proceedings). Throughout this FAQ, the term “opioid settlement funds” refers to the proceeds of any future national settlement or bankruptcy resolution with any of these five companies.
The Memorandum of Agreement offers local governments two options for spending opioid settlement funds.