To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Michelle Halstead, Director, Commissioners’ Office
Prepared By:
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Kendra Davis, Management Analyst III, Commissioners’ Office
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presenter
Presenter: Kendra Davis, Management Analyst III, Commissioners’ Office
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Subject:
title
10:30 AM *Arapahoe County Regional Opioid Abatement Council Update
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this study session is to provide an update on the activities of the Arapahoe County (Region 9) Regional Opioid Abatement Council.
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Background and Discussion: In 2020-2021, opioids settlements were reached nationwide with the “Big 3” opioid distributors (McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen) and Johnson & Johnson to resolve claims by state and local governments that these companies contributed to the opioid epidemic. As a requirement of these agreements, states had to have significant participation by their counties and municipalities in order to receive maximum base and bonus payments.
In 2021, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser worked with Arapahoe County and other local governments to develop and execute the Colorado Opioids Summary Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that established how opioid funds were to be divided and distributed within the State of Colorado. The Arapahoe County Board of County Commissioners approved this MOU at their meeting on Oct. 26, 2021.
The Colorado MOU establishes specific parameters regarding the statewide allocation of settlement funds from the nationwide opioid litigation, which distributes 20% directly to counties/municipalities that sign the MOU and 60% to county-based regions. All settlement funds are required to be used for opioid abatement through prevention, treatment and harm reduction. I the MOU requires each region to create a “Regional Council” to help distribute these funds towards appropriate uses. Arapahoe County and its municipalities are considered their own region-Region 9-within the state’s framework.
Arapahoe County worked in partnership with its participating municipalities to develop an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) that establishes the composition of the regional council and governance structure. Per the requirements of the Colorado MOU, this council will develop a two-year plan that identifies how the Opioid Funds will be used. The IGA also designates Arapahoe County as the fiscal agent for receipt and distribution of these funds on behalf of the regional council. The Board of County Commissioners approved this IGA at their meeting on May 24, 2022.
The Arapahoe County Regional Opioid Council (AC Regional Council) is comprised of the following voting members:
• Arapahoe County Commissioner Bill Holen
• Arapahoe County Commissioner Leslie Summey
• Arapahoe County Public Health Director Jennifer Ludwig
• Arapahoe County Human Services Director Cheryl Ternes
• Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown
• Municipal Law Enforcement Representative: Chief of Police Dustin Varney, Greenwood Village
• 18th Judicial District: District Attorney John Kellner
• City of Aurora: Councilmember Francoise Bergan
• City of Centennial: Mayor Stephanie Piko
• West Arapahoe County (Englewood, Sheridan, Littleton): Councilmember Steve Ward, Englewood
• East Arapahoe County and smaller communities: Bennett Town Administrator Trish Stiles
Non-voting members of the AC Regional Council include all the communities of Arapahoe County, except Deer Trail, which opted not to sign the statewide MOU. This includes:
• • Aurora
• Bennett
• Bow Mar
• Centennial
• Cherry Hills Village
• Columbine Valley
• Englewood
• Foxfield
• Glendale
• Greenwood Village
• Littleton
• Sheridan
There is also a Technical Advisory Committee to advise the AC Regional Council on topic-specific items and act as subject-matter experts.
The AC Regional Council has been meeting since August 2022. An update on their activities was provided to the Board on January 9, and May 20, 2024. The AC Regional Council has approved funding the following priorities:
• Detox and Residential; Full Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Service Walk-in Center: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, to increase capacity of existing Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) Program. $480,297.90
• Sober Living and Transitional Safety Zones (TSZ): Hazelbrook Community Center, to open a TSZ home to guide people through the process of physically withdrawing from drugs and alcohol and then entering a sober living home, with the ability to support 12 individuals through a variety of services. $203,662
• Peer Navigators: Hornbuckle Foundation and Tribe Recovery, to enhance capacity of existing program through additional paid staff and training. $209,968
• Harm Reduction: Arapahoe County Public Health, to expand current programs on the east and west sides of the county, integrate STI testing and referrals and provide training for partner organizations. $265,402
• Co-responders: Aurora Research Institute, to conduct a survey to identify gaps for coordination in regional co-responder teams. $74,325
• Youth Leadership Program: Cherry Creek School District, to support and expand on existing year-round leadership program, develop training to implement similar programming in other school districts and bring together a cohort of participants across other organizations. $978,878
• Workforce Development: Signal, to increase opportunities for workforce development specifically through funding programs required as part of working in the substance use disorder field. $100,000
• Education and Awareness Campaign: Amelie Company and Rise Above CO, to create/distribute an education and awareness campaign for these specific target audiences: 1) age 10-14; 2) caregivers of age group 10-14; and 3) age 18-44. $100,000
The AC Regional Council approved those grantees be funded for two years to give the opportunity for significant programmatic impact, with the exception of the following:
• Co-responder survey, which was for a set amount of time (6-9 months).
• Youth leadership program, which was already a two-year proposal.
• Workforce development and education/awareness campaign, which will be evaluated after their contract term has expired.
The total allocated to the above priorities (with year two funding included) is about $3.5 million. Staff will provide an update on these programs, the opioid settlement funds, and next steps for the AC Regional Council.
Fiscal Impact: Though Arapahoe County acts as the fiscal agent to the AC Regional Council, there is no direct fiscal impact to the County as funds for the Council are only available for approved uses.
Alternatives: This is for informational purposes only.
Alignment with Strategic Plan:
☐Be fiscally sustainable
☐Provide essential and mandated service
☒Be community focused
Staff Recommendation: This is for informational purposes only.