max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
The town is seeking input from the community on how to spend its portion of the statewide opioid abatement funds.
Town Manager Michael Borg and Director and Public Health Nurse Anne Marie Fleming are encouraging community members to share their input via the Opioid Community Impact Survey. The deadline for community members to respond to the survey is Friday, May 2.
The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete and includes six multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
All responses are anonymous, except those interested in participating in a focus group regarding opioid crisis interventions. Those interested in participating in the focus group will be asked to share their name and email address. Those who wish to share only their feedback will not have to provide any contact details.
“Opioid settlement funds are a vital step in addressing the opioid epidemic impacting our community,” said Borg in a statement. “By utilizing data from our Opioid Impact Community Survey, we aim to gain insights into the prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services for opioid use disorder that our community members are most interested in. This information will guide us in identifying solutions that align with the needs and preferences of our community.”
As of February, the town has received $735,000 in opioid abatement funds. These funds are part of a larger, statewide settlement to municipalities across the commonwealth, which will allocate over $900 million over the next 10-plus years.
Over the next 14 years, North Attleborough is projected to receive $1,716,791.24, with an average annual distribution of $122,627.
The funds are directly from opioid distributors and pharmacies that have directly or indirectly contributed to the opioid epidemic. Towns can use settlement funds to support prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services.
Municipalities that receive opioid settlement funds must solicit feedback from community members on how to spend the funds. Under the guidance of North Attleborough’s Opioid Task Force, the survey will be used to guide future initiatives and programming.
The Opioid Task Force has collaborated with the health and school departments to offer INTERFACE Referral Services, an outpatient mental health resource and referral helpline. The task force is also looking to hire a co-response mental health clinician for the North Attleboro Police Department.
For more information about the survey, Opioid Task Force and more, visit nattleboro.com/opioid. Residents with questions are encouraged to contact Human Services Coordinator Stephen Berdos at 508-699-0100 x 2515.