The Aroostook County Opioid Settlement Task Force is asking local organizations to apply for funding to help people negatively affected by drugs.
Aroostook will receive a $2.69 million settlement over the next 16 years. The fund is part of a national lawsuit related to undue harm caused by more than a decade of distribution of highly addictive prescription painkillers. Earlier this year, the county government formed a nine-member task force to decide how to distribute that money.
In Maine, 39 counties, cities and towns will share in $66 million in opioid settlement funds, part of more than $50 billion expected to be distributed nationwide. The fund is intended to support opioid treatment and recovery programs, but a Maine Monitor survey this year found that most communities spend money on law enforcement, raising concerns among supporters. There is growing concern.
Aroostook officials said they intend to use the grant program to provide funding to organizations supporting victims of infectious diseases.
More than 26.6 million prescription painkillers were distributed to people in Aroostook between 2006 and 2014, according to data analyzed by The Washington Post. As a result, the region has experienced a high number of opioid-related overdoses, many of which claim the lives of residents.
State data compiled in August shows Aroostook has had 362 non-fatal overdoses and 28 fatal overdoses so far in 2024, but 485 non-fatal overdoses in 2023. There were 69 fatalities. Statewide, there have been 5,621 nonfatal overdoses and 341 fatal overdoses this year, compared to 9,274 nonfatal overdoses and 606 fatal overdoses in 2023. It has become.
Local advocates and volunteers have spearheaded many programs to help people fight and recover from addiction. These include three recovery centers, two recovery facilities, and creative ways to distribute the overdose reversal drug naloxone, including in vending machines and cabinets at area businesses. The area also has two treatment centers: a methadone clinic and an 18-bed residential treatment facility, both located in Presque Isle.
Due to the county’s vast geographic area, not everyone has access to these services, and some may not be aware of their existence. County Administrator Ryan Pelletier said the grant program could be the first step to solving those problems.
“We want to build on the work local organizations are already doing and help them reach more people,” Pelletier said. “We have people in recovery all over the county, and transportation in particular is a barrier. They may not all know what’s out there.”
Aroostook will receive $744,345 of the allocated settlement, and Pelletier will receive the first in a grant program for local organizations focused on one of four categories: treatment, recovery, harm reduction, or prevention. He is proposing to spend $300,000 per round.
Each category will have a $75,000 cap of $300,000, but the task force may move more funds to other categories depending on the number of applications in each, Pelletier said. spoke.
“We want to put money where it’s needed most,” Pelletier said.
County commissioners are scheduled to vote on whether to approve the task force’s proposed letter of intent and application at their next meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office in Houlton. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and will include a Zoom option for participants who are unable to travel to Houlton.
If approved by commissioners, organizations can access a statement of interest form on the county’s website to express their interest in applying and briefly explain how the funds will be used. A letter of intent was filed on December 16th, and the full application is expected to be filed on January 15th, 2025. Commissioners will likely vote on the projects recommended by the task force for funding in mid-February.
The grant program will be similar to one the county created using American Rescue Plan Act funds. Through the program, county officials distributed $6.5 million to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for infrastructure, broadband, public health, and water projects.
Pelletier said he encourages everyone in the recovery community to attend future commissioner and opioid task force meetings.
The next meeting of the Opioid Task Force will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Cariboo Superior Court.
Pelletier said if the grant program moves forward, the task force will use its meeting to review the letter of intent and decide which organizations to invite to submit complete applications.
