How will Cumberland County use millions of dollars from the opioid settlement?

Hundreds of thousands of dollars to address opioid addiction could be coming to Cumberland County any day now, and the county is preparing a strategic plan to use that money, with input from elected officials.

In July 2021, Attorney General Josh Stein helped secure a $26 billion national settlement from four companies that marketed OxyContin as an opiate with a low addiction rate. And North Carolina will receive $750 million of that settlement, with most going to local governments to help communities in need.

Overall, Cumberland County will receive almost $17 million. And it’s first installment of $652,500 is expected to come this spring, although the exact date isn’t clear.

“We know we have an opioid problem here,” said County Commissioner Charles Evans during the Monday meeting.

Overdose death rates

While Cumberland County isn’t the hardest hit by the opioid epidemic in the state, it isn’t immune to the addiction’s “tentacles,” as described by Commissioner Jimmy Keefe.

In 2020, 149 people in the county died of drug overdoses, according to data from the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics on the state’s opioid settlement dashboard. That’s a rate of 44 out of 100,000 residents — much higher than the state’s rate of 28 out of 100,000.

Cumberland County’s overdose death rate is in the middle of rates in nearby counties and across the state. For example, Robeson County has a rate of 62, Bladen County of 55, Harnett of 31.6, Hoke of 29 and Sampson of 22, according to the opioid settlement dashboard.

Despite having a “middle” range of overdose deaths, Cumberland has seen exponential growth in recent years. In 2000, just four residents died of an overdose, meaning overdoses have increased by 1,100% in two decades.

Related coverage: Opioid-related deaths in Cumberland County nearly double over 5 year-period

The pandemic also saw record-hitting instances of overdoses. More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses from May 2020 and April 2021 — the most ever recorded in a single year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More: Opioids crisis grows worse in Fayetteville even as COVID-19 pandemic rages, officials say

Most of these overdose deaths are from fentanyl, which is much more lethal than an opiate. Many people struggling with addiction turn to heroin and fentanyl, since they’re much less expensive and are easier to obtain than prescribed opioids.

Opioid prescription rates have been decreasing in Cumberland County since 2015, according to the opioid settlement dashboard.

Crunching the numbers

Despite this “middle” range for overdose deaths, Cumberland County has health indicators, such as poverty, unemployment and homelessness, that put it in the high-risk category, according to the opioid settlement dashboard.

That’s why it has the seventh highest allocation of opioid settlement money in the state at 2.67%, according to data from the dashboard.

However, Cumberland County’s almost $17 million is 0.0006% of the entire national settlement, and Keefe wasn’t happy about it.

“The math doesn’t work,” he said. “How is that number justified?”

Every county, along with 17 municipalities in North Carolina, will get 85% of the state’s $750 million allocation, with the state taking 15% to implement its own programs.

In addition, county government isn’t the only entity receiving funds. Fayetteville will secure almost $2 million, with the first $76,600 coming this spring as well, according to the opioid settlement dashboard.

For both Fayetteville and the county, the settlement payments will occur every summer until 2038. This spring will see the lowest amount, and this summer will see the highest amount.

Using the funds

Before receiving the money, the county must create a strategic plan.

Some programs within the strategic plan could include evidence-based addiction treatment, recovery housing, employment-related services, naloxone distribution, criminal justice diversion, syringe services, treatment for incarcerated individuals, and early intervention services, according to Health Director Jennifer Green.

Keefe was especially interested in early intervention services, since he wanted the focus to be on prevention rather than reaction.

This county’s strategic plan must only address opioid addiction. It cannot help with other addictions like alcohol and cocaine, which Evans criticized.

Evans said that people who were using cheaper substances were “desperately” seeking the same help as those who are using opioids. “It is very prevalent in a lot of communities,” he said. “We’re going to have to do better.”

Chair Glenn Adams said that helping people addicted to opioids and criminalizing those addicted to cocaine was a “travesty.”

Green said that the commissioners can fund programs like employment and housing services that can help people struggling with any kind of addiction — as long as we are able to link something back to opioids."

The commissioners will meet May 12 to discuss strategic planning options.

Reporter Ivey Schofield can be reached at ischofield@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: How will the opioid settlement impact Cumberland County?