Las Cruces aims for opioid settlement decisions in August

LAS CRUCES — City council members took another step Monday toward determining how Las Cruces will spend its nearly $10 million share of a landmark opioid liability settlement.

At a work session, council heard updates from an advisory council convened two years ago to develop a plan for spending the funds effectively, based on terms of the settlement, joint sessions with Doña Ana County commissioners, public surveys and input from local agencies.

While Albuquerque and Bernalillo County are already funding projects, Las Cruces officials are still in the process of defining specific locations for investing the funds and populations to be targeted, while avoiding duplicating efforts on programs already funded and in place.

The city and county have jointly agreed to support medication-assisted treatment; “handoff” programs covering patients who transfer from one provider or area of care to another; recovery services; and prevention programs targeting groups vulnerable to opioid use disorder and substance abuse. City police and fire departments have also recommended investing in youth prevention programs at schools.

Monday’s work session gave councilors and the public an opportunity to weigh in on priorities and effective use of the money, or, as Mayor Pro Tem Johana Bencomo put it, “to make magic happen with these funds.”

Las Cruces has already received over $3.6 million of the sum it will receive over the course of 17 years. Doña Ana County, which reported the third-highest tally of drug overdose deaths among New Mexico’s 33 counties between 2017 and 2021, will share a total of $25 million from the settlement with Las Cruces and Sunland Park.

These funds are not related to the newly-announced $7.4 billion opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, which opens more potential funds to local governments grappling with the nationwide opioid crisis.

Barbara Bencomo, the city’s chief administrative officer, said staff planned to bring recommendations of specific activities and programs to the council in August. Some measures might involve direct spending, such as purchasing of supplies of Naloxone, which reverses the effects of opioid overdose. Other initiatives might require seeking competitive bids from private service providers.

“We don’t have unlimited funds, so we are trying to focus our efforts on where they will be most impactful on this first round of spending,” Barbara Bencomo said.

The advisory council, which includes health professionals and policy experts in public and private sectors, recommended outreach in numerous settings, including medical and other community locations; and aiming to contact vulnerable population groups such as children and youth, elderly residents vulnerable to opioid misuse and people involved with the criminal justice system.

They also recommended addressing settings for reaching women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, and rural and Spanish-speaking communities.

Council members mainly asked questions about implementation and said they looked forward to moving forward and directing funds to get prevention and treatment programs underway.

“There are families being torn apart because of the opioid crisis right now. People are dying right now,” Johana Bencomo said, sharing that treatment providers have already been contact the city about how to apply. She said the council was eager to see a proposal for how the city will distribute funds, set expectations and evaluate results — and turn the settlement money into action.

“I’m ready for that conversation and I hope it comes soon: Early August,” she said.