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Seven programs are the first to receive nationwide settlement funding via the Region 12 Opioid Abatement Council
Posted on August 29, 2024 2024News and Events
Did you know that 39 of your Douglas County neighbors died from an opioid overdose in 2023? That’s more than double the number in 2022.*
To combat this nationwide epidemic at the local level, the Board of Douglas County Commissioners this week announced the recipients of $1.1 million in grant funding:
The Region 12 Opioid Abatement Council, representing Douglas County, Colorado, received opioid settlement funding to address gaps and opportunities in prevention, treatment and recovery services for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) as well as other co-occurring substance use disorders (SUD) and mental illness in the region. The Council decided to dedicate funding to Withdrawal Management, Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)/Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT), Peer Support, Expansion of the CRT and HEART programs, Youth Prevention, Transportation, and Case Management.
In January, after a detailed planning process, the Council distributed a call for proposals from area organizations that could carry out this programming.
In 2020-2021, opioid settlements were reached nationwide with Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s three largest drug distribution companies to resolve claims by state and local governments that these companies contributed to the opioid epidemic. The $750 million in settlement funding must be used in alignment with the settlement, which includes funding for opioid abuse, prevention and treatment.
Of that settlement funding, 60% will be distributed to 19 regional areas in Colorado for local use. Douglas County is its own region (Region 12). Douglas County received $1.4 million in 2023 and is expecting to receive up to $2.5 million in 2024.
*Data is from the Colorado Vital Statistics Program.
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