Top officials from Bernalillo County and the City of Albuquerque met on Friday to discuss the future of almost $150 million of funds meant to fight the opioid epidemic. It’s one of the last few steps before lawmakers finalize the strategic plan for the funds.
The Local Government Coordinating Commission walked through the nearly 200-page strategic report it has been developing for most of this year, discussing details of how to incorporate certain ideas, and prioritizing where funding should go.
Wayne Lindstrom, who was recently hired as the deputy county manager in charge of the new Behavioral Health Division, said in addition to expanding treatment options, it’s important to invest in early prevention.
In the past, he said, the vast majority of funding has traditionally gone to treatment and recovery programs.
“This is an opportunity to get upstream and begin to focus more resources where the greatest return on investment is in preventing this condition in the first place,” Lindstrom said.
County Commissioner Eric Olivas says he agrees that early intervention is a key role, and suggests working with Albuquerque Public Schools to develop those programs. But he points out if young people lack stable home lives, they’ll be more at risk.
“I think our really top priority ought to be comprehensive prevention, I guess is what I'll call it, right? It's not just school, but how do we make sure that there's stable housing? How do we make sure that there's food? How do we try to intercept that family and offer additional support there?”
Through the course of the conversation, it became clear there was a lack of support for more aggressive interventions like overdose prevention centers, or safe use sites, where drug users have access to clean supplies and can use under medical supervision.
City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn voiced concern over the lack of political will for such interventions that she said can keep people alive.
“We are not basing the decisions that we have to make on science and the suggestions from the experts, but rather on individual, in my mind, prejudices.”
The members of the local government group will meet again on December 12. In the interim, they will work with staff at both the city and county governments finalizing the strategic plan.
The funds come from settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, which guard these companies from lawsuits for contributing to the deaths of those lost in the opioid epidemic, though it forces them to pay out billions of dollars to state and local governments across the country.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
