Aroostook County has officially launched a new grant program that will distribute the first round of county opioid settlement monies early next year.
Over the next 16 years, Aroostook expects to receive $2.69 in settlement funds from national litigation against pharmaceutical companies for the roles they played in the opioid epidemic. Throughout Maine, cities and towns are expected to receive $66 million of the more than $50 billion being distributed nationally.
With many communities under scrutiny for spending their funds on law enforcement rather than treatment or recovery services, Aroostook leaders have said that the county’s grant program will focus on organizations working to help people dealing with addiction and recovery.
The timing for such funds is crucial, as Aroostook County continues to see numerous overdoses and related deaths. According to state data, there have been 409 nonfatal and 29 fatal overdoses in Aroostook this year as of September, compared with 485 nonfatal and 40 fatal in all of 2023. Maine overall has seen 6,324 nonfatal and 372 fatal overdoses as of September, whereas there were 9,274 nonfatal and 606 fatal in 2023.
Aroostook has received $750,000 so far from the national settlement, and will make $300,000 of that money available for projects within four categories: treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction. Each project can receive no more than $75,000.
County commissioners approved the grant program at their November meeting, giving administrators the green light to begin accepting letters of intent, which are due by Dec. 16. Opioid task force members will meet the next day to select which organizations they will invite to submit full applications, due by Jan. 20, 2025.
County Administrator Ryan Pelletier said in October that the task force will be looking for projects that aim to make a difference for people whose challenges and needs fall within one of the four categories.
“[For example] we have people in recovery spread out all over The County, but transportation, among other things, is a barrier. They might not all be aware of what’s out there [for services].”
The county commissioners will have the final say over what projects to fund.
County officials have made the letter of intent form available for local organizations on the Aroostook County government website.
