By Corinne Murdock |
Over 80 percent of the city of Phoenix’s overdose kits were distributed to libraries, with the total estimated cost of all kits to be about $300,000 for this fiscal year.
According to an update provided to the city council last week, the city has distributed over 2,500 kits to libraries, 100 to neighborhood services, over 100 to housing services, and over 300 at community events and trainings. In order to determine kit distribution, the city referenced an overdose heat map detailing where the high rates of fatal and non-fatal overdoses have occurred. The city noted that it also prioritized distribution at locations that were “low-barrier”: those locations where a kit could be issued without having to present ID, speak with facility staff, or provide personal information.
The thousands of kits are spread across a relatively small scale: just 23 physical locations, though city officials plan to expand the kit distribution network to 40 locations later this year.
The kits contain two doses (four milligrams) of Narcan nasal spray, one pair of nitrile gloves, one breathing shield for CPR rescue breaths, and an instructional pamphlet written in English and Spanish. Narcan is the brand name for the overdose reversal drug naloxone.
The city estimates that the cost for the kits for the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year would be $300,000. Kit distributions began last July.
As AZ Free News reported in August, the first deployment of kits were distributed at a faster pace than anticipated. It took less than a week for all the libraries to use up one month’s worth of the kits: about 1,600 of them.
The kit funding comes from the estimated $1.14 billion settlement obtained through over 3,000 lawsuits against companies behind the opioid crisis including Janssen, Mallinckrodt, Teva, Allergan, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Endo International plc, and Purdue Pharma.
Disbursements of these payouts were projected to last over the course of 18 years. In August 2021, the state entered into an agreement to split and spend the settlement funds in a certain way: 56 percent to local governments for opioid amelioration programs (over $638 million), and 44 percent to a state fund for opioid amelioration programs (nearly $502 million).
Maricopa County received about 58 percent of the local governments fund (over $370 million); of that total, the county retained 51 percent and distributed 48 percent to cities and towns. Phoenix has the greatest percentage allocated of total payment: over 21 percent, which would equal over $78.7 million.
A breakdown of all expenditures across the state, updated last June, is available here.
As of mid-December, the county has received over $25.7 million in settlement funds; over $13.2 million of the funds were retained, and over $12.4 million was distributed to municipalities.
For the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year, the county awarded over $1.9 million to various organizations for opioid amelioration: Banner Health Foundation, Banner Poison and Drug Information Center, Chicanos por la Causa, Community Bridges, Community Medical Services, Live and Learn Arizona, Neighborhood Ministries, notMYkid, Rise Up! Glendale, Shot in the Dark, Skye’s the Limit! Foundation, and Terros Health.
The county allows for annual renewals of contracts over a five-year award period.
The county also allocated $750,000 for naloxone purchase and $170,000 for public health substance abuse staff support to measure the impact of settlement funds and programs.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
