Orange County commissioners approve plan for use of opioid settlement funds

The board of Orange County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved a set of recommendations to guide the county's use of regional opioid settlement funds. As Orlando Weekly previously reported, most of the funds will go toward addiction treatment and recovery initiatives, as recommended by a committee of city, county and community representatives.

The board first heard tentative plans last month for how the county could spend the millions of dollars it’s set to receive through national settlement agreements reached with manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids, including companies like Walgreens and CVS. The total payout, yet to be fully determined, is expected to exceed $50 billion. This will be distributed to states, which come up with their own plans for how funds will be funneled to cities, counties and towns.

Plans for those settlement funds in Orange County, per the local committee's recommendations, include a new mobile addiction treatment clinic, enhancing an opioid addiction treatment program in the Orange County Jail, expanding the county's distribution of naloxone (an opioid overdose reversal drug also known by the brand name Narcan) and supporting a 24-hour peer recovery hotline, among other initiatives.
"The Orange County Regional Opioid priorities seek to address the need for physical healthcare, behavioral healthcare, and social support services that address healthcare disparities and social inequalities," the committee's proposal reads.

Treatment alone, even "gold standard" programs like medication-assisted treatment, has limited success in helping people with addiction secure a fulfilling life in recovery, the proposal acknowledges. A coordinated care system that can address other potential barriers to recovery, such as housing instability, unemployment, lack of social support and unreliable transportation, is also important.

The rest of the $26 million regional allocation, distributed over the next 18 years, will go toward overdose prevention, anti-stigma campaigns, assessing the effectiveness of existing programs and researching barriers in accessing addiction treatment services in the community.

People affected by addiction or by the loss of a loved one to overdose aren't just a statistic. But even so, the numbers present a grim picture of why the expansion of effective treatment and a social safety net for those at risk is sorely needed.

Although fatal drug overdoses in Orange County dipped in 2022 for the first time in years, addiction professionals and activists on the frontlines of the crisis remain cautious.

After a years-long trend of increases, opioid overdoses skyrocketed during the pandemic in Orange County, as they did across the country, amid a disruption in treatment services, widespread unemployment, and a loss of social support due to necessary isolation measures.

In 2021, over 500 people died of drug overdose in Orange County alone. A majority involved fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that's about 50 times stronger than heroin. Even before that, between 2014 and 2019, opioid-involved overdose deaths in Orange County nearly doubled — from 175 to 342.

As local and state governments begin divvying up their settlement allocations, there's been increased debate over how the money should be spent. Although there are some suggested strategies (and requirements) dictating how those funds should be utilized, the guidance is still vague and allows for flexibility in determining those finer details.

For example, as the New York Times reports, some fund recipients have opted to pour money into law enforcement departments, for things such as new police cruisers, overtime pay for narcotics investigators, phone-hacking equipment and restraint devices. Others have opted for direct investment in overdose prevention, harm reduction, recovery housing and treatment services.

Dr. Thomas Hall, who serves as director of Orange County's Drug Free Coalition, told the board of commissioners in August that their office's goal is to expand wraparound services for people affected by addiction, including social support services, with a focus on underserved communities.

“We want to increase the access to medication-assisted treatment throughout the community, but particularly with folks who are uninsured or underinsured,” Hall told commissioners.

Dr. Raul Pino, Orange County's Health Services director, confirmed to commissioners last month that they'll receive quarterly reports with updates on how funds are being spent.

Orlando Weekly contacted the county's media office to ask if the county will share their plans for use of opioid settlement funds online for easy public access. A county spokesperson shared that settlement fund spending will be discussed during public, quarterly meetings of the Opioid Advisory Committee, which are recorded and posted online.

Separately, the board of county commissioners also approved a proclamation on Tuesday declaring September as National Recovery Month, as it's recognized on a national level, with health and social service workers from local addiction treatment programs on hand.

Last year, roughly 300 people died of a drug overdose per day in the U.S., Hall said Tuesday, likening it to a plane crashing every single day for a full year. “And that's where we're at,” he said.

At the same time, millions of people in the U.S. with a substance use disorder can and do find the support or treatment they need to recover from drug dependency.

“Recovery is possible,” Hall emphasized.  “Recovery works.”

Updated 9/13/23 to add a response from a county spokesperson about how members of the public can keep remain informed of settlement spending.
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