Director's Note
As our work in 2023 continues at a fast pace, the Colorado Attorney General's Office's Opioid Response Unit has been ramping up our work as we start to see the implementation of the opioid settlement funds in communities across the state.
We are excited to share that the State of Colorado is one of two inaugural winners of the Excellence in the Application of the Opioid Litigation Principles Awards. These awards are designated by a coalition led by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that developed a set of evidence-based guidelines, known as the Principles, to help policymakers use settlement funds effectively and equitably.
The Principles are:
- Spend the money to save lives
- Use evidence to guide spending
- Invest in youth prevention
- Focus on racial equity
- Develop a fair and transparent process for deciding where to spend the funding
Through our partnership with Colorado Counties, Inc., the Colorado Municipal League, the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, local governments and stakeholders across the state, Colorado is leading the country in showing that we work best when we work together.
In addition, we are excited to begin the work with our partners SE2 and Rise Above Colorado to develop an opioid and fentanyl awareness campaign to protect youth across the state from the risks of opioid addiction and fentanyl poisoning. We are engaging stakeholders and partners to inform this campaign, and the materials produced will be shared with communities across the state to support a more localized response.
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Thank you for your partnership in this work. |
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Heidi K. Williams
Director of Opioid Response
Colorado Department of Law
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2023 Conference Survey & Save-The-Date |
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We're excited to host the 2nd Colorado Opioid Abatement Conference in Montrose, Colorado from August 16-18th.
We want to hear from you all so we can ensure the conference helps you better serve your communities and maximize the collaboration and peer learning.
Please click on the Save-The-Date below or the button underneath to share your ideas and recommendations for this year's conference and pre-register.
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New Settlement Participation Forms for Local Governments |
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As previously announced, Colorado has reached settlement agreements with five additional opioid companies (Allergan, CVS, TEVA, Walgreens, Walmart).
The current estimated total additional allocations from these settlements to all Regions, will result in over $250 million additional funds to the State of Colorado and will be distributed according to the Colorado Opioid Settlement MOU.
In total, this will result in over $740 million to Colorado over roughly 18 years.
In order for Colorado to maximize its share of the settlement proceeds, these opioid settlements (like prior opioid settlements) require that Colorado’s Local Governments participate in the settlements by releasing their opioid-related legal claims against the settling Defendants.
On Monday, February 13th, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office emailed the 312 Participating Local Governments (PLGs) in the 19 Regions to request completion of Participation Forms for 5 new national opioid settlements (Allergan, CVS, TEVA, Walgreens, Walmart).
These Participation Forms are due to the State by April 7th, either submitted through this Google form or sent to Opioids@coag.gov. We will be reaching out to all 312 participating local government primary contacts in the coming weeks to ensure completion of five settlement participation forms.
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Regional, State, and Federal Funding Opportunities |
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In addition to the work that is being done by the Colorado Attorney General's Office, Regional Opioid Abatement Councils and other state agencies are working across the state to develop innovative strategies that meet the unique needs of their communities.
To learn more about some open funding opportunities from our partners, please see below:
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- Harm Reduction programming
- Anti-Stigma and Education Campaign design and implementation, and
- Opioid Data Dashboard development.
Proposals are due March 7th, 2023
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Federal funding availability from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) to plan, develop, implement, or expand comprehensive programs in response to the overdose crisis and the impacts of use and misuse of opioids, stimulants, or other substances.
Proposals are due March 21st, 2023 through Grants.gov
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Fentanyl Townhall with Attorney General Phil Weiser |
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On January 19th, Attorney General Weiser led a community forum to discuss Colorado’s response to the opioid crisis and online access to opioids & fentanyl with a panel of experts.
To learn more about the current challenges facing the state, innovative strategies and initiatives working to address those challenges, and resources available to parents, teachers, school administrators, and law enforcement in this important work, please see the recording of the townhall linked below.
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Welcome Mindy Baumgardner -
Department of Law Rural Outreach Specialist
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Mindy joined the Department of Law's Outreach & Engagement Unit as the Rural Outreach Specialist in December. A portion of her time will be dedicated to supporting the Opioid Response Unit and the rural regions within the Opioid Framework.
Mindy brings over 18 years’ experience of serving youth and families on the Western Slope of Colorado working in the non-profit sector, public education, and Colorado Department of Human Services.
Mindy is a native of Colorado, growing up in Montrose. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Administration from University of Colorado-Denver. Mindy has two grown daughters. She and her husband Ron, along with their labradoodle Tate, currently reside in Grand Junction where they like to take advantage of all the great outdoor opportunities Colorado has to offer.
Mindy is excited about her position with the Division of Community Engagement and the opportunity to serve our rural communities.
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Youth Engagement and Advisory Boards |
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In partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), the Institute for Intergovernmental Research will host a webinar on March 8th from 1pm-3pm to provide foundational knowledge about youth advisory boards (YABs) and explore the effectiveness of engaging youth impacted by opioid and other substance use disorders (SUDs) in an advisory capacity.
It will focus on key considerations when developing mutually beneficial partnerships between youth and stakeholders in the field and address how to leverage these relationships to highlight issues of importance, enhance recovery support systems, and inform juvenile justice reform through the lens of youth with lived experiences.
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Opioid Settlement Funds Dashboard & Resources |
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To learn more about the Opioid Settlement Funds and how they are being distributed, you can check out the new Opioid Settlement Framework Dashboard.
The Opioid Response Unit also recently updated their resources page for both members of the community and for regions and local governments. You can find both linked below.
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Or you can copy the links below:
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Thank you for your partnership! |
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