Union County unveils four‑year opioid‑settlement plan, recommends funding 12 community partners

Deputy County Manager Patrick Nylin presented a strategic, multi‑year plan for allocating opioid‑settlement funds in Union County. Nylin said the county has received nearly $20 million to date from settlements and that the county chose an Exhibit B strategic plan to maximize flexibility across prevention, intervention and treatment components. The county solicited applications and recommended funding 12 entities addressing 10 of 11 strategy areas identified by a multi‑stakeholder working group.

Key recommended priorities included establishing peer‑support services (to connect people in recovery with those who have lived experience), expanding medically assisted treatment (MAT) providers, bolstering school‑based prevention and intervention capacity, funding treatment and recovery services and allocating targeted transportation supports to remove barriers to appointments and employment. Nylin said staff recommended a four‑year funding cycle and emphasized the need to plan for sustainability after settlement streams decline: "We are just under $20 million of total funding. ... there’s a lot of money and it can only be used to address the opioid issue in Union County," he told the board.

Recommended awards and budgets were presented in a packet to the board; staff said unspent funds would remain in the special revenue fund and be available for future cycles. Nylin also noted the county intends to expand coordination (behavioral‑health collaborative) and to continue tracking outcomes and refining strategies at the end of each funding cycle.