MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Mental Health is set to employ nearly $28 million out of a $41 million appropriations bill filed last week to address the opioid epidemic.
The funds come from the state’s more than $720 million in opioid settlement funds.
“This is all about prevention, treatment and recovery; we’re broadening the areas that we’re covering,” said Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Hazel Green, speaking to Alabama Daily News recently.
Pharmacies and drug makers have dolled out tens of billions of dollars in recent years to settle lawsuits from state governments over their role in the opioid epidemic, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans since 1999. Alabama was hit particularly hard by the epidemic, with the state having more opioid prescriptions than people in 2015, the highest-rate in the nation at the time for per-person opioid prescriptions..
In 2023, Reynolds and other state leaders established the Opioid Settlement Oversight Committee to decide how to best allocate the funds to combat the opioid epidemic. Last year, it awarded $30 million to various state agencies. This year, appropriations from the fund expanded to around $41 million, and will reach a broader range of state agencies and services, including an extensive marketing campaign on the dangers of opioids.
“We’re getting into law enforcement, we’re getting into a (request for proposal) for a dedicated treatment program, that would be a one-time commitment by the Opioid Commission,” Reynolds told ADN.
“And we continue to do what the training that Auburn University’s doing, (University of South Alabama) is getting into that aspect of opioid prevention, so we’re just going to continue to hit different aspects of that plan until the money runs out.”
Of the nearly $28 million to be awarded to ADMH, $5 million will fund additional civil commitment beds, $5 million toward a new opioid treatment center and nearly $9 million will be allocated for prevention, treatment and recovery grants, which include the agency’s new marketing campaign.
“I think the education campaign is huge,” said Kim Boswell, ADMH commissioner, speaking with ADN last week.
“I also think the grants and having so many community-based organizations that are really doing that prevention work, I just don’t even know if we can measure the impact because it’s so important for young folks to understand about opioids, what they are, and why you shouldn’t take them unless you absolutely have to.”
Attorney General Steve Marshall first secured $249 million in 2023 in a settlement with drug makers Teva and Allergan, and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens. The following year, he secured an additional $220 million, and continues to be involved in litigation with drug makers and pharmacies related to the opioid epidemic.
“We think we can stand up these agencies for probably six to seven more years based on the work that Attorney General Steve Marshall and his team did,” Reynolds told ADN.
Reynolds said that the bill is expected to be in committee during the first week of April, along with eight other budget bills.
Additional appropriations in the bill include $1 million for the Auburn University School of Pharmacy, $5 million for a request for proposal for a dedicated opioid treatment center and $2.6 million for the Alabama Sheriff’s Association.
View below for the list of appropriations included in the bill:
| Entity | Purpose | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Corrections | Curriculum, peer support, addiction counseling, and MAT medication | $900,000 |
| Board of Pardons and Paroles | Passenger vans to expand opioid treatment programs | $120,000 |
| Department of Mental Health | Medicaid match, detox, Naloxone, 988 line, treatment/recovery grants, beds, education, outreach | $27,860,000 |
| Auburn University | Pharmacy school expansion, K–12 education, and substance abuse training | $1,000,000 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Psychiatry residencies in Montgomery and Huntsville | $1,000,000 |
| USA Health (University of South Alabama) | Training primary care providers in opioid dependency screening | $1,000,000 |
| Alabama Department of Public Health | Rapid response to opioid overdose outbreaks | $500,000 |
| Administrative Office of Courts | Mental Health, Veterans, and Drug Courts grant program | $3,000,000 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Continuation and sustainability of Veterans Pilot Program | $1,500,000 |
| Department of Human Resources | Grant program for at-risk youth opioid prevention and education | $500,000 |
| Office of Prosecution Services | Opioid prevention, inmate treatment, Naloxone, management with Sheriffs Association | $2,600,000 |
| Department of Forensic Sciences | Fentanyl testing technology | $800,000 |
| Department of Senior Services | Kinship Caregiver Pilot Program | $279,071 |
Total Appropriated: $41,059,071