Permitted Uses for National Opioid Settlement Distributor Settlement Agreement
As we shared in the July 8 Weekly Round Up, first payments to participating municipalities from the National Opioid Settlement are ready to send. Participating municipalities should be on the lookout for email communications coming from the settlement’s Directing Administrator, BrownGreer PLC, asking municipalities to establish accounts in the National Opioid Settlements Portal. The Portal will be the primary means for participating municipalities to submit information and documentation to BrownGreer. Once the necessary information is uploaded into the Portal, payment can be made to your municipality.
Section E-1 of the National Opioid Settlement Distributor Settlement Agreement outlines Core Strategies and Permitted Uses of the funds for municipal use. Municipalities can choose from many different abatement strategies, with priority given to the following core abatement strategies:
- Naloxone or Other FDA-Approved Drug to Reverse Opioid Overdoses
- Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Distribution and Other Opioid-Related Treatment
- Pregnant & Postpartum Women
- Expanding Treatment for National Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)
- Expansion of Warm Hand-Off Programs
- Treatment for Incarcerated Population
- Prevention Programs
- Exp;anding Syringe Services Programs
- Evidence-Based Data Collection and Research Analyzing the Effectiveness of the Abatement Strategies Within the State
Support treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and any co-occurring Substance Use Disorder or Mental Health (SUD/MH) conditions through evidence-based or evidence-informed programs or strategies that may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Treat Opioid Use Disorder
- Support People in Treatment and Recovery
- Connect People Who Need Help to the Help They Need (Connections to Care)
- Address the Needs of Criminal Justice-Involved Persons
- Address the Needs of Pregnant or Parenting Women and Their Families, Including Babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
- Prevent Over-Prescribing and Ensure Appropriate Prescribing and Dispensing of Opioids
- Prevent Misuse of Opioids
- Prevent Overdose Deaths and Other Harms (Harm Reduction)
- First Responders
- Leadership, Planning, and Coordination
- Training
- Research
The League’s Potential Solutions to the Opioid Crisis Working Group is creating a Municipal Toolkit and Lunch and Learn webinar which will be scheduled in the near future.
If a municipality has questions, BrownGreer PLC has set up a communications center with a team of case managers who will work with local governments receiving money. The communications center can be reached at DirectingAdministrator@nationalOpioidSettlement.com or 888-441-2010. Additional information can also be found in the notice your municipality received from the New Jersey Attorney General’s office regarding the next steps to receive the first settlement payment.
Contact: Paul Penna,Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org or 609-695-3481, x110.