Counties across North Carolina are still figuring how to use the $1.5 billion in settlement funding that opioid companies like Johnson & Johnson had to pay for the harm caused by their role in the opioid epidemic. North Carolina’s 20 westernmost counties will receive almost $160 million of the funds.
Russ Harris, executive director of the Southwestern Commission, a local council of governments for the seven westernmost counties, said analyzing the needs of the region is the first step.
“I think the main thing is really to put solid numbers to that so we really know, beyond just the stories that we tell in our communities. What is the situation in each of our communities. Until we accurately identify the issue and how serious it is. It's really hard to take that next step of coming up with a strategic plan for how to address it,” Harris said.
Southwestern Commission launched a new webpage with data about effects of opioids in each county in the region. This is the next step in the regional planning for the opioid settlement funds.
The data shows that overall in the region, overdose deaths have increased by 98% from 2016 to 2021. That’s compared to an 85% increase across the state.
The region’s rate of OD deaths is higher than the state’s rate, but emergency department visits due to a drug OD has typically been lower. The report says that this highlights a potential gap in access to emergency care in the region related to drug overdoses.
The seven westernmost counties are working with Southwestern Commission for a collaborative plan on how to spend the funding.
In July 2023, most counties in the state hadn’t allocated the funds from the $1.5 billion in settlement from opioid companies for the harm caused by their products and policies.
Some Western North Carolina counties have already started enacting plans like Graham and Buncombe Counties. While others are still in the planning process.
“I think it's a mixed bag at this point,” Harris said, referring to counties at different planning levels.
In June, the commission hired Omni Institute to lead the planning process. The consultants put together snapshots which show regionally and county-by-county how the overdose ER visits and deaths have increased since 2016.
In November and December, the commission hosted 33 focus groups of community members as well as 13 one-on-one interviews to ask for their recommendations on what to do with the settlement funding.
“We're trying to get a wide variety of you know, different perspectives from all of our communities,” Harris said.
The commission wants more geographic representation from Macon and Swain Counties and more perspectives from law enforcement and school staff, he said.
The Commission is now calling for folks to fill out an online survey about what programs and services are needed to fight the opioid epidemic. The survey deadline is December 22. Here's the survey.
