National Association of Counties expands programming to address opioid crisis

New cohort, resources will strengthen intergovernmental collaboration and equip local leaders to invest opioid settlement dollars 

WASHINGTON – The National Association of Counties (NACo) today announced the expansion of its Opioid Solutions Leadership Network (OSLN), the flagship peer learning arm of the Opioid Solutions Center. The network now includes an additional cohort made up of state associations of counties, to be known as “Ambassadors.” The creation of the OSLN, and the expansion announced today, have been supported through a partnership with Vital Strategies and the Pew Charitable Trusts. 

The new cohort joins 27 existing network members focused on evidence-based solutions for deploying opioid settlement funds. The participating state associations are:  

• Hawai’i State Association of Counties 
• Alaska Municipal League 
• Utah Association of Counties 
• Association of Minnesota Counties 
• Michigan Association of Counties 
• Kentucky Association of Counties 
• Tennessee County Services Association 
• County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania 
• Florida Association of Counties 
• North Carolina Association of County Commissioners 

 The launch of a state association-focused cohort recognizes the critical role that state associations of counties play in scaling the impact of resources, navigating state-specific terms and conditions on the opioid settlements and fostering timely, responsive solutions for counties across the nation.

Opioid settlements continue to be finalized, adding to the more than $50 billion already being distributed at the state and local level, with payments set to continue for more than a decade. County governments administering these resources face a complex landscape of needs and demands and have opportunities to drive investments that will shape public health systems, law enforcement, emergency services and social support networks for people at risk of overdose, including rural communities as well as historically marginalized populations. Members of the OSLN are critical partners in information dissemination, state policy advocacy, peer learning and technical assistance.

“Counties are at the forefront of addressing the opioid epidemic, with a role that gives us tremendous insight into both the effects of opioids and the proven solutions counties can invest in to support behavioral health in our communities,” said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. “We congratulate the new Opioid Solutions Leadership Network cohort and look forward to sharing their learnings with counties across the country.”

“Settlement funds create a unique opportunity for widespread new investment towards evidence-driven and health-oriented approaches to overdose,” said Alejandro Alves, Technical Director for the Vital Strategies Overdose Prevention Program. “The impact of these funds will play out across thousands of locally-led decisions across the country, and NACo has an important role to play in creating spaces for shared learning, information, and resource sharing to help county leaders succeed in this. We’re proud to be supporting that effort.”

Over the next eight months, the new cohort will support state association staff to: 

• Identify ways to adapt national resources to the specific needs of counties in their home state 
• Serve as hubs for collaboration and innovation within and across their states 
• Provide direct, localized support to counties in their home state as they look to implement settlement-funded initiatives, and 
• Help counties measure and monitor the impacts of their settlement funds spending plans 

 The OSLN’s expansion aligns with the release of 15 strategy briefs outlining high-impact eligible expenditures for opioid settlement funds that are under county authority. These briefs, vetted by academic and national experts, are designed to be accessible and support counties in making the best possible investments for their communities.

Said Chase, “As counties prepare for over a decade of future opioid settlement payments, the Opioid Solutions Center will continue to enhance intergovernmental collaboration and ensure that settlement funds drive meaningful change for communities nationwide.”

For more information about the Opioid Solutions Center, the newly released opioid solutions strategy briefs or the Opioid Solutions Leadership Network, click here.