CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-23-121 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Klarissa Peña
RESOLUTION
title
Directing The Department Of Family And Community Services To Enter Into A Memorandum Of Understanding With Bernalillo County To Allocate Funds To The Metropolitan Detention Center For Opioid Treatment And Recovery (Peña)
body
DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES TO ENTER INTO A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH BERNALILLO COUNTY TO ALLOCATE FUNDS TO THE METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER FOR OPIOID TREATMENT AND RECOVERY.
WHEREAS, on February 24, 2022, the National Prescription Opiate
Litigation Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee confirmed participation of over 90% of litigating local governments nationwide in the $26 billion global opioid settlements finalized with three drug distributors, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, and opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson; and
WHEREAS, the settlements require that 85% of funds be allocated to programs that will help address the ongoing opioid crisis through treatment, education, and prevention efforts; and
WHEREAS, in total, the settling distributors will make 18 annual payments to settling states and entities; and
WHEREAS, the passage of R-22-32 created the LG Abatement Fund for timely receipt, appropriation, and expenditure of the opioid settlement proceeds; and
WHEREAS, the Distributor Master Settlement Agreement and the J&J Master Settlement Agreement outline Core Strategies, Approved Uses, and Other Strategies for the LG Abatement Fund; and
WHEREAS, treatment for incarcerated persons is listed as a Core Strategy; and
WHEREAS, many incarcerated individuals have overlapping distinctions which are addressed by the Core Strategies, Approved Uses, and Other Strategies; and
WHEREAS, the American Psychological Association supports research showing treating prisoners’ addiction issues during incarceration and after release helps keep them off of drugs, out of prison, and employed; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Bureau of Prisons note studies show when in-prison programs are well-designed, carefully implemented, and utilize effective practices, they reduce relapse, criminality, recidivism, increase the level of the offender’s stake in societal norms, increase levels of education and employment upon return to the community, improve health and mental health symptoms and conditions, and improve relationships; and
WHEREAS, Bernalillo County partners with Recovery Services of New Mexico to administer Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT) to prisoners at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC); and
WHEREAS, the New Mexico three-year recidivism rate was 54% in FY19 and FY20, with substance use as one of the main drivers for return to prison after release; and
WHEREAS, treating opioid addicted inmates helps the individual start on the road to recovery, helps the families of the individuals, our overburdened prison system, and society as a whole.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The Department of Family and Community Services (FCS) shall enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bernalillo County to provide $1.5 million dollars from the LG Abatement Fund 201 to provide opioid treatment and recovery services at MDC.
SECTION 2. After one year, the Department of Family and Community Services shall produce a report to City Council detailing the effectiveness and outcomes of the treatment and recovery program. Future allocations to Bernalillo County to provide opioid treatment and recovery services at MDC from Fund 201 will be determined based on the outcomes in the report.
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