FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – On behalf of the Cumberland County Commissioners, Cumberland County Department of Public Health is facilitating a series of community meetings in May and June 2022 to receive input about the strategies that may be supported with opioid settlement funds.

Cumberland County Government is estimated to receive $16,984,644 over an 18-year period (2022-2038). The City of Fayetteville is estimated to receive $1,994,964 during the same 18-year period.

Two options are available for counties and cities to spend their settlement funds according to https://ncopioidsettlement.org/resources/ and will be discussed at the following meetings.

Tuesday, May 24                                                       Tuesday, June 7

5:30 - 7 p.m.                                                               5:30 - 7 p.m.
Headquarters Library Pate Room                              Hope Mills Library
300 Maiden Lane                                                        3411 Golfview Road
Fayetteville, NC 28301                                               Hope Mills, NC 28348

Tuesday, June 14                                                      Wednesday, June 22
5:30 - 7 p.m.                                                               5:30 - 7 p.m.
Spring Lake Library                                                     Eastover Civic Center
101 Laketree Blvd.                                                      4008 School Street                Spring Lake, NC 28390                                              Eastover, NC 28312

Feedback will be shared with the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and Fayetteville City Council to determine how funds will be spent.

In July 2021, Attorney General Josh Stein announced a historic $26 billion agreement that will help bring desperately needed help to communities harmed by the opioid epidemic. The state of North Carolina and all 100 counties, including Cumberland County, joined the agreement.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the State and local government directs how opioid settlement funds are distributed in our state. These potential settlements and resolutions could bring as much as $850,000 to North Carolina over an 18-year period to support state and local efforts to address the epidemic.

For more information about the Opioid Settlement Fund, visit https://ncopioidsettlement.org/ or https://www.morepowerfulnc.org/opioid-settlements/

For more information if you or someone you know is struggling with opioid addiction, please seek help by visiting allianceforaction.org or calling Alliance Health at 800-510-9132.

For more information on how to administer naloxone, please visit https://harmreduction.org/issues/overdose-prevention/overview/overdose-basics/understanding-naloxone/ 

For more information about Cumberland County Department of Health programs or about the Cumberland-Fayetteville Opioid Response Team visit https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/public-health-group/public-health/community-services/c-fort-(opioid-response)