Massachusetts Communities Receive Opioid Lawsuit Settlement Funds
Part Four
By Luke Schmaltz, VOICES Newsletter Editor
A series of unprecedented lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of prescription opioids have awarded settlements to every municipality in Massachusetts. These companies include Allergan, CVS, Johnson & Johnson, Purdue, Teva, Walgreens, and Walmart.
Heavily populated areas of the state will receive significant sums of money for the next decade-and-a-half. Meanwhile, rural areas will receive payouts consistent with their smaller populations. This dynamic presents a unique set of challenges for realizing the positive impact of these payments. In the southwest region of the state, communities are coming together like never before to make the best of the circumstances.
Community Leadership
Gary Pratt is the director of Rural Recovery Resources and the South County Recovery Center. Pratt is in long-term recovery and helped open Rural Recovery in September 2020.
Pratt’s efforts are part of a larger mobilization by the South Berkshire County Opioid Consortium to harness federal funding to create an organization focused on lowering the morbidity and mortality associated with substance use disorder (SUD).
Early in his recovery, Pratt founded Smash the Stigma 413, an initiative focused on raising awareness about how SUD-related issues are diminished in rural communities. Alongside his colleagues in SBOC, Pratt is currently immersed in an ongoing discussion about how to best utilize the opioid lawsuit settlement funds.
A Proactive Approach
“As soon as we knew the Attorney General was going to be disbursing these funds, we mobilized, “Pratt explains. “This included me, and people from other agencies such as the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative. We identified and broke down exactly how much money was going to each of the 14 towns in South Berkshire County; Egremont, Alford, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, and West Stockbridge.”
“We figured out exactly how these funds were going to be disbursed, because in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, any funds which are appropriated to a town need to be appropriated through a town meeting. Unlike in a city, where the city council disburses funds as they see fit. In South Berkshire County, these monies were distributed into the general funds of the towns, and they couldn’t be dispersed until they became certified as ‘free’ cash.”
“We approached all 14 towns and asked them each individually to make a commitment to put it on the town warrant or through whatever means they have at their disposal to make a commitment to funnel these funds to Rural Recovery and the South County Recovery Center.”
The Big Picture
“Truth be told,” Pratt continues, “The money coming into South Berkshire County is absolutely laughable. Over the entirety of the 19 years of disbursement, the grand total for all 14 towns is $781,000.00 and some change. For example, the town of Alford will receive $1,659.00 total over 19 years or $111.00 per year. We mobilized to get this money pooled, to come to Rural Recovery, which will be about $40,000 per year. So, if all of our other money streams dry up, we can at least use that money for occupancy – to keep the doors open and pay the utilities.”
“We pointed out to the town government that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to have money go directly to the victims of the opioid crisis, from the perpetrators of these crimes, at no cost to the taxpayer. This is money from the manufacturers and distributors of opioids that have caused so much damage across this country.”
“Over the past year,” Pratt continues, “We have been working on this. It has passed on some town warrants, some are waiting on town meetings which will be taking place this October, and some will happen next fiscal year. Regardless, the money allotted to 13 of the 14 towns will be funneled to the South County Recovery Center.
“The South Berkshire Public Health Collaborative works in conjunction with the Tri-town Board of Health, which is Lee, Lennox, and Stockbridge. We went through the boards of health who said, ‘Yes, this is what this money is for.’ What people don’t understand is that this money is very restricted. It needs to be spent on the mitigation of damages to the people who were affected by the opioid crisis. It is not for filling potholes, installing park benches, or lowering taxes – it is for helping people who have been affected by opioids. We are on the front lines of South Berkshire County, so it just made sense for everybody.”
Ready to Receive
While the opioid settlement money has been allocated, it has yet to be disbursed. When it is finally distributed and funneled to the South County Recovery Center, Pratt and his colleagues have plans in place. “It will go toward the operation of the center and to fully establish Rural Recovery as a nonprofit agency. We will continue to offer mutual aid groups, activities, community building, and recovery coaching. When people come here for a recovery coach, they simply have to say so, and it is part of the program at no cost. It is being paid for by federal funding, state funding, and now this opioid funding will go toward that as well.”
For other organizations looking to access the settlement funds allocated to their municipality, Pratt offers actionable advice. “Create a one-page document, front and back, discussing how you are going to use the funds. Make it easy for those towns to understand how the funds are going to be appropriated and what needs to be done. Whittle down your message, so that it is not a 37-page document, but something that is easily digestible. Focus on the purpose of the funds and how agencies that work in this field are best positioned to utilize these funds for the people who are most affected.”
Concerned citizens who want to initiate the above process for their municipality can find official government paperwork here.
The upcoming Finding Connections in Grief Conference will feature an information table about opioid lawsuit settlement funds. Please stop by to learn more about engaging with your local Massachusetts government, so that these funds can be properly utilized in your community.