The Southwest Colorado Regional Opioid Council (SWCROC) has been working to support local communities with funds, a plan and various resources. Montrose County Commissioner Sue Hansen, a member of SWCROC, told the Forum the funds, which total $787,665,251 nationally, are due to a settlement. The Forum asked if the settlement was due to overprescribing of prescription opioids in the past and the negative effects that’s had on society in the last few decades.
“The settlement funds are indeed from distributors and drug companies in response to the opioid epidemic in the past,” she said in a July interview.
She added the settlement process was lengthy, but the monies are intended to help. Those allocating funds in the settlement are Allergan, CVS, Johnson & Johnson, Kroger, Mallinckrodt, McKinsey, Publicis, Teva, Walgreens, Walmart and other distributors.
The state has been divided into regions for distribution of funds.
“Attorney General Phil Weiser was a strong advocate of the regional approach across the state,” she said. “We have 19 regional councils.”
Mesa County, for example, is the only county in the Mesa County region. The West End is part of Region 14, made up of Delta, Montrose, Gunnison, Hinsdale, San Miguel and Ouray counties. Each county can appoint two representatives on the voting council.
“I came to be on the board during the initial settlement discussions and have served since then as treasurer and secretary,” Hansen said. “Montrose County is the fiscal agent for the settlement funds.”
Liz Smith, Gunnison County Commissioner, is is the chairperson for Region 14, and Carol Friedrich, Ouray County Human Services Director, is the vice chair. There is also a non-voting group, made up of local experts in the field, and they attend meetings regularly.
Hansen said Region 14 is estimated to receive $7.3 million until 2038.
“Currently we have $1.5 million available for distribution,” Hansen said. “We can also apply for grants through the Attorney General’s office that can add to our total amount available.”
There’s a two-year plan in place for Region 10, and under that plan are five categories with percentages of funding to be allocated: prevention and education (24 percent), treatment (22 percent), harm reduction (24 percent), criminal justice (6 percent) and recovery (24 percent). Recently, Tri-County Health Network announced a counseling program that included six sessions of support related to substance abuse, and that’s part of SWCROC’s work.
“The two-year plan is flexible, so if other issues come up that need to be addressed we can submit changes,” Hansen said.
Hansen said SWCROC and its work are important.
“It is important for Montrose County, because drug use and overuse affects our communities in numerous ways,” she said, “and while opioid use and mis-use is not our largest issue, these funds can be used for programs to help alleviate and treat the addictions.”
The plan does list specific strategies, like education in schools, mental health first-aid and family resources. Childcare support and transportation are included in the plans for treatment. For harm reduction, Narcan and fentanyl test strips are part of the plan, as is the tracking of hot spots and places where there are gaps in support. Restorative practices and diversions are mentioned in the justice piece. Follow-up approaches are being developed in the recovery aspect of the plan, so that those moving from treatment to recovery are not forgotten.
The plan says it will use data-driven, evidenced approaches and rely on best practices for rural communities.
To learn more about the SWCROC, the public may visit swcorc.com/.
