Opioid Settlement Dollars
What Are Opioid Settlement Funds?
In the 1990s, health care professionals began prescribing opioid pain medications with false reassurance from pharmaceutical companies that the opioids were not habit-forming. The resulting misuse, addiction, and overdoses has been devastating. Prevention and treatment services are essential in addressing this public health crisis and this toolkit is designed to help community-based organizations understand how to access the funds available through recent settlements with pharmaceutical companies.
After a lengthy legal process, 47 states have settled with opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributors, and pharmacies for $26 billion. After a lengthy legal process to hold companies accountable for downplaying the addictiveness of opioids, 47 states have settled with opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical distributors, and pharmacies for $26 billion. Separate opioid settlements are in process or concluded in the remaining states as well as additional localities. These resources will ultimately be used to address the opioid crisis, and it is critical that community-based organizations begin preparing now to ensure that these funds are used not just for treatment, but also for prevention.The settlement funds, proposed to be disbursed over the next 18 years and frontloaded at the beginning, will go to states and localities for the purpose of addressing the opioid epidemic. As these funds flow to entities across the nation, community-based organizations must have a seat at the table to decide how these funds are spent locally. These will be significant investments in the kinds of services our sector provides. The deep impact of the opioid epidemic has made it clear that a major part of the solution will be strengthening communities with upstream resources and supports.
Links Regarding the Opioid Settlement Funds:
Opioids – PA Office of Attorney General
Opioid-Multistate-Settlement-Fact-Sheet.pdf (attorneygeneral.gov)
Exhibit-E-Final-Distributor-Settlement-Agreement-8-11-21.pdf (attorneygeneral.gov)
Opioid settlement: Here’s how much money Pa. counties would see | WITF
Understanding Opioid Settlement Spending Plans Across States: Key Components and Approaches - NASHP
How To Apply/Request Opioid Settlement Funds:
You must submit an electronic proposal to Mellissa Parsons at mparsons@tiogahsa.org
The proposal criteria for Opioid Settlement Dollars must include:
- Name and address of provider/organization
- Name of service
- Category of service
- Adult --Aging --Mental Health –Children and Youth --Prevention –Treatment
- Target clientele
- Identified need/description of service
- Brief description of service and how it meets the identified need
- Estimated total cost of the program with breakout of costs (budget)
- If the program will be billed as a Fee for Service, state the fee (until cost) in the proposal
- Outcomes
- Program sustainability plan
Your proposal will be placed on the monthly Drug & Alcohol Planning Council meeting. Applicants should expect to attend the meeting to present their proposal and answer follow-up/clarification questions from the Planning Council members. The proposal will then go to the Tioga County Commissioners for final review/approval.