Medford Puts $170K In Opioid Settlement Funds Toward Recovery Services

MEDFORD, MA — The city has invested approximately $170,000 in opioid settlement funds toward programs designed to address substance use, support recovery, and reduce the harm associated with opioid use, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced Thursday.

The city has invested the funding across Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026 after receiving its first payment through the Massachusetts Opioid Abatement Settlement Program in 2023. Medford plans to spend approximately $100,000 per year on substance use services and programming through 2038.

As of July, Medford had received $457,725.97 through the opioid settlements and expects to receive approximately $1.4 million over 15 years. The funding stems from settlements reached with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies, with municipalities across Massachusetts receiving a portion of the money to address the effects of the opioid crisis.

The city's investments are primarily divided among three areas, with 65 percent of funding going toward recovery services and harm reduction, 20 percent toward prevention and early intervention, and 15 percent toward mental health and family support.

"Medford is committed to directly investing these funds to thoughtfully support residents and families impacted by substance use," Lungo-Koehn said. "By listening to our community and investing in recovery, prevention, harm reduction, and mental health services, we can help reduce barriers to care, expand access to resources, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of our residents."

The plan for spending the settlement funds was developed by the Office of Prevention and Outreach with input from families affected by the opioid crisis, individuals with lived experience, service providers, and other community partners. The city began seeking that input in 2023, when the Office of Prevention and Outreach launched a community survey asking residents to help identify priorities for investing the settlement funding.

Settlement funding has since been used for recovery coaching services, youth substance use prevention and intervention programs, and harm reduction efforts, including the purchase and distribution of Narcan. Funding has also supported outreach supplies for unhoused individuals experiencing substance use disorder.

Other investments include sober home scholarships, transportation assistance, and employment opportunities for people in recovery, along with weekly recovery meetings with recovery guides and access to phones. The city has also used funding for remembrance initiatives honoring community members who have died from substance use.

"Our goal from the beginning has been to make sure these funds are used in ways that reflect the needs of our community," Catherine Dhingra, assistant director of the Health and Human Services Department, said. "The input we received from families, individuals with lived experiences, service providers, and community partners has helped identify where these resources can have the greatest impact."

The city plans to continue using the settlement funding for prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery services in the coming years. Future investments are expected to include prevention and intervention education for Medford Public Schools and continued recovery support aimed at reducing barriers to treatment and long-term recovery.

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