Henderson County Opioid Settlement Funding Strategic Plan

What we now call the “opioid crisis” was sparked by overprescribing of a certain group of pain medications- people typically know them as Hydrocodone or Oxycontin. The health providers prescribing them were told that these new pain killers were not as addictive as others they’d used, so they prescribed them liberally. Of course, we now know that they’re very addictive, so there are now appropriate restrictions placed on prescriptions.

Unfortunately, millions of people had already been impacted, and there was significant downstream impact on families and communities. The problem was exacerbated when unscrupulous providers made money off people’s addiction, through what are called “pill mills”, where people could pay cash for prescriptions and pills. Some viewers might be familiar with the book and documentary called “Dopesick” which explains what happened in detail.

Opioids are a class of drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. Opioid drugs include prescription pain medicine and illegal drugs. Some people use opioids because of the euphoria (or high) they can produce. I already mentioned some of the prescription drugs. This class of drugs also includes heroin and synthetic (or lab made) opioids such as fentanyl.

Around the late 2010’s we did begin to see a decline in prescriptions, but while the prescription pills in the market were reduced, the demand still existed. So, people turned to other opioids, like heroin and fentanyl, because they’re cheaper and more accessible. It’s important to understand is that, when someone is addicted to a drug, they will take whatever is available to feel better. If their drug of choice isn’t available- in this case, opioids- they’ll use other classes of drugs- such as methamphetamine, alcohol, marijuana- to meet that need.

We now have an unprecedented opportunity to address the impact of the opioid crisis. North Carolina, along with several other states, sued pharmaceutical companies and distributors, stating that they misrepresented the safety of these medications. This resulted in a substantial settlement and North Carolina is distributing 85% of that directly to local governments to spend as they see fit for their communities. Henderson County will receive approximately $16 million over 18 years.  All this detail is available on this special website provided by the state. 

Fortunately, Henderson County had already been working toward addressing this issue through local health providers and stakeholders. Our Board of Commissioners, led by Commissioner Lapsley, had created a Substance Use Task Force in 2017, and we had that great work to build on. The Task Force was brought back together to review its previous goals, discuss new issues and determine priorities for the spending of this money. Our four priorities are: recovery support services, prevention and early intervention, treatment, and criminal diversion.

To meet our priorities, we needed to complete a Strategic Plan. We engaged services of a neutral consultant, REAL Academy, through an RFP process, using funds from our partners at Dogwood Health Trust. That work is wrapping up now, and once that’s complete, we can access the funds for the identified projects. In the meantime, are there some things we can do for planning and building programs and services. For example, we are currently building the framework for an Adult Recovery Court. The Strategic Plan is complete and was presented to the Board of Commissioners at their August 16, 2023 meeting.

North Carolina has set this up to be very transparent. Every dollar that we spend will be reported and shared on a public website. There is a great deal of accountability and reporting built into this settlement agreement, and it will all be available at ncopioidsettlement.org.

We also have a Substance Use Action Team in place- which is open to the community. if anyone is interested in joining, they can contact Jodi Grabowski. People can also visit our Public Health website to find resources and hotlines related to Behavioral Health.