Fairfield Prepares To Spend Nearly $460,000 To Combat Substance Abuse

FAIRFIELD, CT — The Fairfield Board of Selectpersons unanimously approved a resolution this month to appropriate $458,459.49 in opioid settlement funds, clearing the way for the town to begin using the money for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction initiatives.

The resolution authorizes the use of all opioid settlement funds the town has received to date for eligible purposes under the national opioid settlement agreements and Connecticut requirements. It also authorizes the First Selectperson Christine Vitale to execute agreements and take actions necessary to implement the program.

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Also this month, the appropriation received approval from the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting.

Health Director Sands Cleary said the appropriation is needed because the town had not previously completed the formal appropriation process.

"We want to start spending the money, and so this is the steps we have to go through to authorize that," Cleary said.

Vitale said the town has established an internal working group that includes representatives from the Health Department, Police Department, Fire Department, First Selectperson's Office and Fairfield CARES to recommend how the funds should be used.

One of the group's first priorities is a community needs assessment, which officials hope Fairfield University will conduct. The assessment is intended to identify local needs before larger spending decisions are made.

Vitale said the town also is considering immediate harm reduction measures, including providing Narcan that police and firefighters could leave with residents after emergency calls.

Officials said the town must report to the state on how the settlement funds are used and intends to provide updates to the Board of Selectpersons as the work progresses.

There is no spending deadline, and the town does not intend to use the entire allocation at once. Instead, officials plan to use the needs assessment to guide future investments and expand community participation through a broader advisory process.

Cleary said conducting a needs assessment before making larger funding decisions is consistent with how other municipalities have approached their opioid settlement funds.

The first selectperson said the town requested approval of the full appropriation now so projects would not be delayed by seeking separate approvals for each expenditure. The initial needs assessment is expected to cost about $15,000.

During board discussion, Selectperson Brenda Kupchick urged the town to prioritize direct assistance for residents seeking addiction treatment, saying many families struggle to afford recovery services despite insurance coverage requirements.

"I've had people in my family and people I know who had addiction issues, and you could educate them all you want, but an addict's going to be an addict," Kupchick said, adding that families often struggle with accessing recovery programs, because not all health insurance covers them.

"The most effective thing to help an addict is to give them the opportunity at recovery," she said.

Cleary responded that treatment and recovery are already part of the working group's plans.

"We hope to roll out a variety of different programs from prevention, education activities, treatment, and recovery activities to cover the spectrum of eligible uses under the settlement agreement," Cleary said. He added that staff are reviewing programs in other municipalities, including possible mini-grants for treatment providers and similar initiatives.

Vitale agreed, saying the town intends to address the opioid crisis through multiple approaches rather than focusing only on education.