Counties are planning in full swing to decide on how to invest the funds that would be received from the national opioid settlement, which would ease the nation's drugs crisis.
The general impression was that the counties are carefully considering how the cash may be distributed while also evaluating the cost of the programs they deployed to address the demands of the opioid crisis caused by prescription painkillers. The pandemic put a strain on county budgets for law enforcement, rehabilitation, the foster system, and the coroner's office. It was mostly driven by legal prescriptions for opioids that were advertised in a way that claimed they would not be habit-forming.
State and municipal governments will get $26 billion from the producers, distributors, and pharmacies engaged in the production of painkillers. The immediate past president of NACo stated that there are several ways in which the county is affected, including the overburdened 911 centre from calls and actions, police enforcement, ambulances, and all other life support systems.
The money is beginning to flow, but ARPA funds are often permitted costs for some of the issues that the counties are facing, so now is the ideal time for nature to unite and reveal what the county authorities will be doing over the next several months.
Along with helping counties create their plans for how they will spend their portion of the settlement, NACo has opened its Opioid Solutions Center, which will serve as a resource for counties as they fight addiction in their communities and as a guide for counties as they assess their needs and consider spending. In addition to providing case studies, the center includes a 15-page document on approved uses of the funds.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the center have a free helpline for counties to call for technical support. A national leadership network of 20–25 counties that are dedicated to combating the drug addiction problem in their communities will also be assembled by NACo.
