Welcome to Westport Health Notes, a monthly column from the Westport Board of Health (BOH). The goal is to share information with our community about local issues and projects, public health alerts, and even facts about the scope of responsibility that local Boards of Health manage.

Opioid use disorder and opioid-related deaths remain a critical public health problem in Massachusetts, with total deaths in 2020 reaching a record high.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 45 Westport residents died from opioid overdose from 2015 to 2023. Of the Southcoast Public Health Collaborative consisting of five other communities, Westport ranks first in overdose deaths, two times greater than the next highest of Freetown at 22 deaths.

As part of an historic legal effort to demand justice from private companies complicit in the harm caused by the opioid overdose crisis, the Town of Westport has received funds from the Massachusetts Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (MORRF) for its specific use in prevention, harm reduction, recovery support, trauma, grief, and family support.

As of May 15, 2024, the town has received $317,729 from the settlement, with additional funds continuing to be received through 2038. Abatement terms have been created to manage the distribution of these funds, overseen by the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services. To read the abatement agreement visit www.mass.gov/info-details/municipaltiies-utilizing-opioid-settlement-abatement- payments.

In late September, representatives from the Westport Board of Health and other advocates appeared before the Select Board to request an Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Committee be formed. The purpose of the committee is to help the select board determine how the funds received from a class action lawsuit are used in the best interest of our community, and to ensure that the funds are focused specifically on the development of programs and services that support individuals and their families struggling with a substance use disorder. The top priority of the advisory committee is to identify community needs and present a plan to the select board to help in their decision to allocate funds consistent with our community’s identified needs.

The Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Committee will have their first meeting next Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Town Hall. The committee includes one member from the Select Board, Board of Health, School Department, Fire and Police Departments, one clinician, two community members, and one person with lived experience and in recovery. All but one have been appointed by the select board. We are seeking an individual in recovery from substance use disorder. There is also a plan to hold focus groups to get further community input into ways to help those impacted by substance use disorders in our community.

This is a message of hope for our community. The settlement fund can help us save lives. It can help our young people, their parents, and their grandparents who may be raising their grandchildren due to their own child’s substance use. The collaboration between individuals in public service, education, mental health care, and town residents will improve our ability to address and meet the needs of those impacted by substance use disorders, save lives, and strengthen our community in the process.

For further information contact damaralrnmsn@outlook.com.

Amaral, a registered nurse, is a member of the Westport Board of Health.