HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Hagerstown Mayor and City Council approved two agreements with the Washington County Health Department to manage opioid settlement funds. These agreements set up addiction response programs and raised questions about when community outreach will begin.
The agreements allow the Health Department to manage opioid abatement services in the city, using money from lawsuits against companies linked to the opioid crisis.
One agreement covers general opioid relief funding. The other focuses on targeted abatement grants and requires a five-year spending plan.
The council approved the agreements after hearing public comments that encouraged more support for community recovery groups and people with personal experience overcoming substance use disorders.
Health Department to oversee opioid response programs
The first memorandum of understanding puts the Washington County Health Department in charge of creating and running an opioid response program in Hagerstown.
The Health Department will collect data, prepare reports, and oversee services meant to address opioid addiction.
The second agreement sets up a similar partnership for targeted abatement grant funds.
This agreement also requires the Health Department to create a five-year plan showing how the funding will support opioid abatement activities.
Both agreements are meant to make sure settlement funds go toward approved services in Hagerstown.
The City Council approved both resolutions at its regular meeting.
Council member questions outreach timeline
Even though both agreements passed, a council member asked why targeted engagement and re-engagement activities were still set for the third year of the five-year plan.
The council member said this issue came up in an earlier work session, when someone suggested moving those activities earlier in the plan.
By the time the agreement was up for approval, the schedule had not changed.
However, the council member noted that the agreement requires Hagerstown to keep up project oversight through regular communication and quarterly reviews.
These reviews could give the city a chance to rethink when outreach activities should happen.
The council member said they plan to bring up the issue again in future reviews, stressing that targeted engagement should start sooner.
This concern raises a key question for the city’s opioid response: how fast can settlement funds reach residents who need treatment, recovery support, and help reconnecting with services?
Recovery advocates call for broader funding
Earlier in the meeting, a Hagerstown resident in recovery asked the council to consider giving opioid settlement money to more organizations.
He talked about the value of peer support, especially help from people who have gone through addiction and recovery themselves.
He said this approach helped him in his own recovery.
He also said the Health Department is not the only group that can provide good peer support.
The resident shared his experience with recovery organizations in Hagerstown and Frederick County, saying community groups often help people find mental health services, substance use treatment, and other resources.
He urged city officials to support more local agencies that already work directly with people affected by addiction.
His comments reflected broader concern about ensuring settlement funds go to organizations with strong ties in the recovery community.
Another speaker asked if traditional addiction services have worked well enough and encouraged city leaders to try new strategies for dealing with substance use disorders.
Five-year plan establishes oversight
The targeted abatement agreement puts the Health Department in charge of creating the five-year plan, collecting program data, and preparing reports.
The plan also gives Hagerstown a role in monitoring progress through regular communication and quarterly reviews.
These reviews could be especially important if city officials want to change when services happen or check if programs are reaching the right people.
The council’s discussion did not decide whether the outreach schedule for year three would change. The council approved the existing timeline, leaving earlier engagement for future consideration.
Settlement funds intended to address opioid crisis
Opioid settlement funds come from lawsuits against companies accused of contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic.
The money is meant to support activities that address addiction and its effects, like treatment, prevention, and recovery services.
For Hagerstown, these agreements make the Washington County Health Department the main administrative partner for the city’s opioid abatement programs.
They also set up a way to track how funds are used and review how well the response works over time.
The meeting showed that questions remain about how to distribute resources, which organizations should be involved, and how soon some services should start.
As the five-year plan continues, the city’s quarterly reviews will provide opportunities to revisit these concerns and see whether the spending strategy meets community needs.
