December 2, 2022

December 12 'Opioid Strategies' Webinar Focuses on Diversion Programs

The NCACC and NC Department of Health and Human Services are co-hosting a series of webinars on evidence-based, high-impact strategies that local governments may pursue to address the opioid overdose epidemic utilizing funds from the national litigation settlement. 

The final webinar of 2022 is scheduled for Monday, December 12, from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. and will focus on criminal justice diversion programs. Register here. 

Registration is also available for the first 2023 session, scheduled for January 23 (3:00 – 4:30 p.m.) with a focus on employment-related services. 

The most recent webinar, held November 14, focused on housing needs and included presentations from representatives of the NC Coalition to End Homelessness, the Technical Assistance Collaborative, and Western North Carolina-based Homeward Bound. Access the on-demand webinar recording here, and the presentations file here. 

Click here to access on-demand webinars from the “Strategies to Address the Opioid Epidemic” series, the three-part medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in jails series, and others. Click here to access the NCACC opioid settlement assistance webpage, which includes links to crucial documents and recommended resources. 

Sample Spending Authorization Language for County Resolutions or Ordinances

Before spending any funds from the national opioid settlement, counties must first authorize the expenditures. The NCACC has developed sample language for counties to use when drafting a local spending authorization resolution or ordinance. The language included will ensure counties meet the requirements contained in the NC MOA. Access the sample language here. 

Second 'Summer 2022' Installment of Opioid Settlement Funds Disbursed in Mid-November

On November 15, the National Opioid Settlement Fund Trust disbursed another round of payments to each local government receiving settlement funding under the NC Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The amount of the payment your local government received is indicated on this document. The Trust either wired or mailed the payment to your local government based on the instructions you previously provided to the settlement administrator, BrownGreer. 

An important clarification: The "Summer 2022" payment was divided into two parts. The first part was disbursed on September 15, and the second part was the payment that was disbursed on November 15. 

Now that you have received both parts of the "Summer 2022" payment, you will notice that the total "Summer 2022" payment is slightly larger than was initially projected. UNC is in the process of updating the opioid settlement payment schedules on the Community Opioid Resources Engine (CORE-NC) to reflect the slightly higher numbers. 

Agreements with Opioid Makers Teva and Allergan Will Send Additional Funds to NC to Combat Opioid Epidemic

Attorney General Josh Stein announced November 22 that he has finalized $6.6 billion in agreements with opioid makers Teva and Allergan over allegations that the companies contributed to the opioid crisis by overstating the benefits of opioids, downplaying the risk of addiction, and failing to maintain effective controls to prevent opioid diversion. Click here to read a release from the Department of Justice. 

The agreements come on the heels of a November 15 announced settlement with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores. Click here to read a release from the Department of Justice. 

Practical Guidance for Implementation of Office-Based Opioid Treatment through Primary Care Local Health Departments

A Duke Opioid Collaboratory project has released a guide to providing medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) through office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) programming at local health departments or other primary care clinic. 

This guide was developed in a collaboration between Granville Vance Public Health and the Duke University School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health Sciences. It is designed for providers and practice managers interested in starting an OBOT program in their clinic or local health department and local government leaders interested in supporting OBOT in their communities. 

Access the guide here, and an issue brief here. 

Sales Tax Update — December 2022

ARPA Resource Roundup — November 29, 2022

Learn or Get a Refresher on the Essentials of County Government

The School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill and the NCACC are again partnering to offer newly elected commissioners a crash course on the essentials of county government. This program, designed to help county commissioners successfully transition from campaigning to governing, will introduce the basic functions of county government and the role of the governing board. 

Registration is open for three offerings – two in-person and one online: 

• December 15-16 in Buncombe County, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday
• January 12-13 in Durham County, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday
• January 18-20 Online, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday

January 19 – Strategic Planning: Linking Strategies to Results 
Effective leaders not only deal with the challenges at hand each day, but they also anticipate future challenges – a growing population that needs another school; an aging population that needs a senior center; another farm being subdivided that needs water and sewer line extensions – and seek to shape the future intentionally. In this class you will learn the principles and processes involved in strategic planning. You will learn how to use your budget as a planning tool to execute your vision over a multi-year period, and you will explore the leadership behaviors that are important elements of success. 

January 27 – Top 10 Primer on Land Use, Planning, and Zoning for Local Elected Officials 
This short interactive class you will share the 10 most important things to know about your role as an elected official in land use planning and zoning. Questions we will consider include: What’s the point of zoning? Whose rules apply where? What’s going to happen to the farmland? Can we get better development? How do we slow this down? And more! 

Featured Classifieds

• Assistant County Manager — Vance County
• Public Works Director — City of Brevard, NC
• Inspections Director — Davidson County
• Emergency Service Director — Davidson County
• Digital Communications Specialist — NCACC

Register for an Upcoming Mental Health First Aid Training

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants to identify, understand and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. 

This basic course on mental health and substance abuse conditions will give you the skills to notice and engage individuals experiencing these symptoms which cause suffering. Through engagement, you can offer understanding and invite them to expand their care team with resources that can help. You will receive a certificate of completion at the end of this course. This course is foundational and part of the training curriculum for NCServes Providers & Staff, Peer Supports, and Community Stakeholders, and is beneficial for anyone. 

Trainings are being offered: December 12 (virtual), December 14 (in Lee County), and January 11 and 25 (virtual). Click here to learn more and register.