Michigan will receive nearly $800 million from a nationwide settlement from opioid distributors to invest in opioid treatment and prevention. We’re also sharing how two CMF members are supporting overdose prevention work in their communities.
Michigan will receive nearly $800 million from three opioid distributors and an opioid manufacturer, as part of a $26 billion nationwide settlement for their role in the opioid crisis.
In response to the ongoing opioid crisis in the state, earlier this year Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of legislation investing in treatment, prevention and mental health.
The legislation will manage the disbursement of settlement funds as a result of opioid-related lawsuits and create the Opioid Advisory Commission to advance policy to prevent, treat, and support those with opioid use disorder.
As CMF reported, in 2020, data illustrated a disproportionate increase in overdose fatalities. According to the state, the age-adjusted opioid overdose death rate for Black residents increased from 29.1 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2019 to 37.5 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020 and for Hispanic residents, it increased from 15 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2019 to 22.3 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020.
Many CMF members have been deeply engaged in prevention and treatment efforts around the state to address the opioid crisis, from the Michigan Opioid Partnership and beyond.
Most recently, two CMF members partnered to provide a Narcan vending machine at the Battle Creek Homeless Shelter.
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and Battle Creek Community Foundation collaborated to support the ongoing overdose prevention work by a local nonprofit the Substance Abuse Council and Summit Pointe.
The vending machine is accessible 24/7 and contains 100 free boxes of two doses of Narcan, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses, with instructions for how to administer the medication, gloves, a rescue mask and resource information for treatment.
The Substance Abuse Council shared that it hopes to purchase additional vending machines and place them throughout Calhoun County in the future.
This Friday, Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Department of Attorney General will join CMF members in a briefing to share more about the state’s plan to distribute millions from the global opioid settlement to local communities.
MDHHS and the Department of Attorney General will discuss the state's goals for the statewide fund and how Michigan opioid settlement dollars will be deployed locally to put investments in treatment, prevention, mental health and other efforts to offset the public health crisis.
Together we'll explore philanthropy’s role in ensuring Michigan communities have the access and resources to treat, reduce harm and sustain recovery from this lasting epidemic.
Want more?
Learn more about the Narcan vending machine.
Register for this free virtual conversation to join MDHHS and the Department of Attorney General to learn more about the state’s plan to distribute opioid settlement funds.
