Baltimore Mayor Scott shares draft of plan to address opioid crisis, manage settlement funds
BALTIMORE -- Mayor Brandon Scott released a draft of the city's plan to address opioid overdoses Wednesday in keeping with an executive order established in August 2024 to manage the city's opioid settlement funds.
The order details how the city will use $242.5 million in settlements from pharmaceutical companies.
Community Input
The drafted Community Engagement Plan details a two-step approach to fill gaps in the city's Overdose Response Strategy. Residents are encouraged to review the plan and share their comments by January 17, 2025.
The city will host community listening sessions in early 2025 to hear from residents about the overdose epidemic and their ideas on solutions. Residents can also share their thoughts through an online form HERE.
The city also shared a drafted Accountability and Transparency Plan that outlines efforts to track and share how the settlement funds are allocated and the impact that they have. Residents can share their thoughts HERE by January 17, 2025.
According to Mayor Scott, the city's health department will also work to address the opioid crisis by creating a new Division of Overdose Prevention and Harm Reduction to be led by a new deputy commissioner.
The department is also investing in several public health functions, including epidemiology and data, and assurance of essential services.
The mayor said he is working with the Board of Estimates and Baltimore City Council to pass a supplemental budget, creating an initial appropriation for the Opioid Restitution Funds.
The budget would include:
- Administrative and oversight costs
- Partial funding for the organizations named in the individual settlement agreements
- Funding for the health department to increase its opioid response efforts
- Funding for the Mayor's Office of Recovery programs to administer grant awards
- Funding for additional positions detailed in the executive order
- Contractual support to establish the trust fund
- Funding for community engagement
- Planning costs for the replacement of Druid Health Clinic
- Staffing and support costs for opioid response and recovery strategies
Staffing the Restitution Advisory Board
The city received over 180 applications to fill the seats of its Restitution Advisory Board, the mayor said.
The applications were reviewed and scored based on each candidate's experience in engaging with individuals with substance use disorders, their ability to understand the needs of people who use drugs and familiarity with services and programs to help those in need.
The mayor said top-ranked candidates are being interviewed by a panel of stakeholders and final selections will be announced in January 2025. The first board meeting will be held early next year.
The city also received over 40 applications for the Executive Director and Program Manager positions and finalists have been identified, according to Mayor Scott.
Baltimore's Opioid Settlements
In 2024 alone, Baltimore City won money from at least seven settlements. In June, the city reached a $45 million settlement with Allergan for the company's role in the opioid epidemic.
In August, CVS agreed to pay the city $45 million after it distributed hydrocodone and other opioids to its pharmacies in Baltimore between 2006 and 2014. Later that month, Cardinal Health reached a $152.5 million settlement.
In September, Baltimore City settled with Teva Pharmaceuticals for $80 million. The company agreed to pay $35 million by the end of 2024 and the rest by July 1, 2025.
Later in September, the city settled with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, though the terms of the settlement were not released.
In October, Walgreens settled with the city for $80 million and agreed to pay $45 million by the end of 2024, and the rest by December 31, 2025.
In November, the city settled with two drug companies - McKesson and AmerisourceBergen – for over $260 million after they were found liable for contributing to the opioid crisis.
