Cass County seeking applications to spend local Opioid Settlement Funds

Published 3:52 pm Wednesday, April 17, 2024

CASS COUNTY — Cass County organizations and individuals combating impacts of the opioid epidemic are encouraged to apply for local Opioid Settlement Funds.

In 2021, a national settlement was reached in response to years of lawsuits against manufacturers and distributors of opioid medications accused of downplaying the risks of prescription painkillers. The state of Michigan allocated approximately $887 million (about 50 percent of its $1.6 billion share) to local governments. In 2023, Cass County formed an advisory committee to make recommendations about a process for making funding awards for its approximately $2.4 million share.

Chief Judge Carol Bealor, chair of the advisory committee, said advisory committee members believed it was important to make funding widely available so that it is used to address needs specific to Cass County.

“It was especially important to the committee that we have an avenue for persons with lived experiences recovering from opioid use disorders to seek funding for known needs in our community,” Bealor said.

The committee developed an application for organizations, groups, and individuals to apply for funding in any of four funding tracks:

1. Emergency or crisis response funding to address emergent and time-sensitive issues with a total cost of more than $5,000
2. Emergency or crisis response funding to address emergent and time-sensitive issues with a total cost of less than $5,000
3. Funding for non-emergency and non-crisis response services or interventions with a total cost of more than $5,000
4. Funding for non-emergency and non-crisis response services or interventions with a total cost of less than $5,000

Specifically, funding is targeted for programming related to opioid use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and wrap around community supports to serve individuals and families impacted by opioid use who also have a connection to Cass County.

Applications can be found on the web at this link: casscountymi.org/1574/Opioid-Settlement-Funds. Proposals will be reviewed and scored on a rubric by the County Administrator, Finance Director, committee chair and vice chair within 14 days of submission. The application and the committee’s recommendation will then be reviewed by the Board of Commissioners at the next Committee of the Whole meeting, and, if approved by the board, will move to a vote at the next regular or special meeting.

“Our community is positively impacted when we use the opioid settlement funds to respond to existing opioid problems by serving the individuals and families impacted by opioid use,” Bealor said. “There is bigger community impact when we attempt to take our work helping individuals and families to scale by investing in youth prevention (addressing problems before they begin).”

As it developed its plan, the advisory committee prioritized projects which are lifesaving, evidence-based and racially equitable, as well as projects that focus on youth prevention.

“Cass County has a rich history of collaboration, and partnerships may develop which can allow for greater impact leveraging our success beyond the confines of Cass County,” Bealor said.

Funding and updates will be tracked on Cass County’s website, casscountymi.org.