by Benjamin Yount
Wisconsin’s public health managers are once again looking to spend most of their latest round of opioid settlement money on Narcan and new buildings.
The Department of Health Services on Wednesday released its proposal for $8 million worth of opioid settlement cash.
“As with last year’s proposal, this plan prioritizes what people with lived experiences, their families and friends, and our partners told us is needed to address the state’s opioid crisis,” Paul Krupski, DHS director of opioid initiatives, said in a statement.
DHS’ proposal would spend $4 million on Narcan and fentanyl test strips, including:
- $1.5 million to maintain the availability of Narcan® statewide via the DHS Narcan® Direct Program through community provider agencies.
- $500,000 to maintain a statewide distribution of fentanyl test strips via the DHS fentanyl test strip direct program through community providers.
- $1 million to sustain the EMS Leave Behind Program providing EMS agencies with Narcan® and fentanyl test strips.
- $750,000 to sustain the DHS Law Enforcement Narcan® Direct Program.
- $250,000 to sustain providing fentanyl test strips to law enforcement agencies participating in the DHS Law Enforcement Narcan® Direct program.
The $3 million for new buildings has been earmarked “to expand prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and/or recovery services statewide.”
DHS is proposing to spend just $1 million on opioid prevention programs.
Krupski says the plan was developed after asking law enforcement, public health managers, and others on the opioid frontlines across Wisconsin.
“People who responded to our survey ranked the programs and services they see as priorities, and we’re eager to have the committee’s approval of them,” he said.
The proposal now goes to the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, but it is unclear what lawmakers on the committee will do with it.
This year’s $8 million is part of Wisconsin’s $400 million share of the national opioid settlement, which will be paid-out over the next several years.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Narcan Nasal Spray” by The Ohio State University.
