Middlesex Co. Opens Public Input Period On Opioid Crisis Response

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ — The Middlesex County Office of Human Services is inviting residents to share input on how to allocate the county's opioid settlement funds, opening a public comment period Monday in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day.

The input period runs from Monday, through Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the county. Residents can submit ideas at middlesexcountynj.gov/opioidinput.

Middlesex County received the settlement funds to help address the opioid epidemic, prevent overdose deaths and expand connections to care, the county said. The money stems from a lawsuit settlement between the federal government and pharmaceutical companies that contributed to the opioid crisis nationwide.

Funding must go toward helping individuals and communities affected by the opioid epidemic through treatment, prevention, harm reduction, workforce development and education, according to the county.

County officials said they are committed to using the funds to sustain and strengthen an ongoing response to the epidemic and to leverage innovative strategies to end it, adding that community input is vital to those efforts.

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