For the next several weeks, the Belmont Health Department will seek community input on how best to spend the town’s opioid settlement money.
According to the town, allocations of roughly $30,000 to $50,000 will be distributed annually in Belmont until 2038.
“We see this really as the first step to get a good sense of what our priorities should be,” said Health Director Wesley Chin. “The goal is to receive community feedback and input to help guide us.”
According to the state website, Massachusetts participated in nationwide financial settlements with several pharmaceutical companies. Combined, these settlements will bring over $900 million into Massachusetts for substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support.
“We don’t have a good sense of how the community has been impacted by the epidemic,” Chin said. “So the community survey is a first step in giving us a better sense of the landscape and how we can respond to any needs or challenges.”
To begin to understand how the community would like to see how the funds are spent, the Health Department is asking residents to respond to a survey between now and Nov. 22. The survey targets adults who live in and work in the Belmont area.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, in 2023, there were 15 “opioid-related incidents” in Belmont, which includes all medical services in which opioids were involved. Not all incidents are clinical overdoses, and not all are nonfatal.
In 2022, there were 19 documented incidents, and 18 in 2021. In 2020, 12 incidents were documented.
So far, in 2024, which includes data through the second quarter, there have been 10 incidents.
“It’s dangerous now for young people if they’re experimenting with drugs,” said Police Chief James MacIsaac. “I think sometimes the fear of drugs has fallen off a little bit, but with fentanyl and these drugs, they’re not made in factories, not regulated … you never know what you could be getting.”
MacIsaac said when someone from his department responds to a call for a possible overdose, Narcan is administered if the person is unresponsive.
“If we can help them get treatment, we do that,” he said. “It’s not like we just move on. Usually, we end up working with families in trying to get people help.”
When it comes to the potential use of these funds, MacIsaac said he comes from the perspective that prevention is key.
“I think the education of high schoolers can be a big help,” he said. “I know there are challenges there, finding the time and getting a captive audience … I think in this type of situation, really, prevention is where I think you want to put a good amount of effort to keep someone from going down the road of trying to experiment with real hardcore drugs.”
According to Chin, the department has received 140 responses this week.
“We’re obviously hoping for more,” he said. “We really want to make it a community effort to help make this decision. The more input we can receive, the better we’ll be able to understand specific needs and challenges that may exist.”
The survey can be accessed online at tinyurl.com/BelmontOpioidSurvey. Paper copies of the survey, as well as surveys in languages other than English, are also available at the Health Department and the Beech Street Center.
In addition to the survey, Chin said a public health consultant also plans to host focus groups over the next month. Anyone who wishes to be part of a focus group can express interest at the end of the survey.
“We want to make sure this money is put to good use,” MacIsaac said. “It’s not simply to buy pamphlets that are going to sit in everybody’s office for the next five years. I applaud the effort that the town of Belmont is going through to make sure these funds are spent properly.”