Guilford County is preparing to expand its use of opioid settlement funds to support new addiction treatment services aimed at pregnant women and mothers. The initiative is part of broader efforts across North Carolina to address the long-term impacts of the opioid crisis using money recovered from legal settlements with drug manufacturers and distributors.
County commissioners are expected to approve a budget amendment at their Thursday, June 4 meeting, allocating $186,432 from the Opioid Settlement Fund. The funding will support a Substance Abuse Intensive Outpatient Program (SAIOP) that will operate under the county’s Family-Focused Recovery Program.
County documents state that the program will provide structured outpatient treatment and wraparound support services for “pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders.” The funding was previously authorized during the commissioners’ March 27 retreat as part of a larger opioid settlement spending plan, and the upcoming vote will formally incorporate it into the county budget…