Share your input for the FY28-30 Opioid Settlement Funding Strategic Plan through an online survey that is now live. Help us ensure the plan reflects current trends, needs, and opportunities.  

The County has been working to address opioid substance use and overdoses in our community since receiving funding through the National Opioids Settlement.  

The County is scheduled to receive over $30 million through 2038 to focus on prevention and long-term recovery in the community. To ensure that goals and priorities reflect current needs, staff established the 2024-2026 Opioid Strategic Plan. This plan helped identify priorities and guide funding and resource allocation.  

Since 2024, funding has helped address key findings from the strategic plan. This includes: 

• Expanded access to treatment and clinical services, including access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorders (MOUD). 

• Recovery and support navigation through the Post-Overdose Response Team, reentry assistance, and Peer Support Specialists. 

• Expanded distribution and training of the overdose reversal medication Naloxone and access to clean and safe supplies. 

• Supporting housing and economic stability through transportation, addressing work-related needs, job readiness, and links to vocational programs, college courses, and job pathways. 

• Community training and anti-stigma awareness campaigns. 

Data from 2024-26 shows a notable decline in overdose deaths in the County, with a peak of 152 deaths in 2023, down to 103 in 2024. Emergency department visits for overdoses also decreased, with a peak of 503 in 2023, down to 337 in 2024 and 258 in 2025. While this decrease in overdose deaths and hospital visits follows a national trend, the expansion of Naloxone, MOUD and Peer Support Specialists with lived experience creates an environment where overdoses can be prevented and where the individual can receive long-term support.  

Now, we are working on developing the FY28-30 strategic plan that will guide how opioid settlement funds will be used in the coming years and public input is an essential part of the plan.

All local voices are encouraged to participate in the survey, whether you have lived experience, or are part of frontline services, faith-based groups, or affected families. Everyone is essential to identify gaps, tailor services, and ensure equitable spending of strategic plan funds. 

“We can’t build an effective plan without our residents,” said Buncombe County Behavioral Health Manager Victoria Reichard. “Community input helps us respond to real, everyday challenges.” 

The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and can be submitted anonymously by July 10. Take the survey and learn more about the Opioid Settlement Fund.