Forsyth County officials share new opioid settlement spending priorities

Forsyth County health officials want to spend more money on medications to treat opioid use disorder. That’s according to a proposal detailing the health department’s plans for using funds from a multimillion-dollar state settlement with opioid manufacturers.

Forsyth County will receive a total of $35 million over an 18-year period from the settlement. At Thursday’s Board of Commissioners meeting, health officials outlined how they would like to spend the $3 million chunk set aside for the next fiscal year. 

Under the plan, a significant portion will go toward medications for opioid use disorder, or MOUDs.

Denise Price, the county’s behavioral health services director, says that decision was made after staffers consulted with local treatment providers.

“What they have discovered is that the largest barrier for people to receive MOUD services is the cost of the medications," she says. "So what we're trying to do is eliminate those costs.”

Health officials say MOUDs are highly effective in preventing overdoses. 

Other funding will pay for harm reduction services, treatment programs, and opioid overdose reversal drugs. If commissioners approve the plan at the May 4 meeting, the funds could be distributed as early as July.