National Association of Counties
The Principles for the Use of Funds From the Opioid Litigation are nationally recognized guidance for states, counties and cities receiving money from the lawsuits against entities that contributed to the opioid epidemic. These planning Principles, coordinated by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, can help jurisdictions create a foundation for effective spending of the monies to save lives from overdose.
The Principles encourage communities to use settlement funds to supplement existing opioid abatement work (Principle 1) and invest in effective, evidence-based interventions (Principle 2). Conducting a local needs assessment is an important early step in determining how to disburse these limited resources for maximum impact. This guide serves as a quick reference to aid counties in conducting such an assessment to assist in investing opioid litigation funds.
Between 2018 and 2020, Cambria County conducted a comprehensive needs assessment focused on substance use prevention. The needs assessment was led by the Cambria County Drug and Alcohol Program (the single county authority for drug and alcohol services) in partnership with several community organizations. The assessment team used a process developed by the state and a local university to gather administrative data and qualitative data from community members. ACCESS THE REPORT.
The Howard County Health Department conducts biennial health assessment surveys modeled after the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The county uses this data to develop strategic plans that model the years ahead and annual reports that communicate existing programs and services to the community. The 2018 and 2019 annual reports detailed the county’s opioid response efforts, including stakeholder engagement, evidenced-based prevention strategies, harm reduction, public education and behavioral health courts. ACCESS THE REPORTS.
In 2016, the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte (HFL) received a grant from the state to conduct a community needs assessment specific to opioid use. HFL partnered with the Center for Health Policy at Indiana University to conduct the assessment, which sought to measure the current state of opioid misuse in the county, measure the community’s capacity to respond and identify gaps in services. Through survey and interview data analysis, the team developed a strategic framework to reduce opioid misuse in the county. ACCESS THE REPORT.
In 2022, Lyon County developed an “Opioid Use and Misuse Community Needs Assessment.” The assessment was informed the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, data collected by the county’s Mobile Outreach Safety Team and information shared during the Lyon County Human Services 2019 Opioid Summit. The report details low-, mid- and high-level priorities for addressing the opioid crisis and promoting continuity of care and expanded services. ACCESS THE REPORT.
Maricopa County conducts a community health needs assessment every three years, developing this assessment into a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). Data for the assessment is gathered through multiple sources, including community health status reports, community surveys, focus groups, key informant interviews, local public health system assessments and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The three priority areas identified in the 2020-2023 report were access to care, access to healthy food and early childhood development. ACCESS THE REPORT.
Wake County conducts a community health needs assessment every three years. The 2019 assessment was co-chaired by a member of the Board of Commissioners and the president of a local nonprofit health system and completed by over 100 agency and community partners. The needs assessment identified five county-wide priorities: transportation options and transit; employment; access to care; mental health/substance use disorders; and housing and homelessness. After releasing the report, the needs assessment team held a series of action planning meetings with residents and community organizations to determine how to address these priorities. ACCESS THE REPORT.
Standard<p>NACo’s Healthy Counties Initiative creates and sustains healthy counties by supporting collaboration and sharing evidence-informed approaches to pressing health issues.
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<p>NACo's Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
NACo’s Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.
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