Opioid Settlement Funds

What are the Opioid Settlement Funds?

Through a series of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that manufactured and distributed opioids, the State of Louisiana is slated to receive about $600 million over 18 years to assist in opioid recovery efforts. In Louisiana, 80% of funds are allocated to parish governments and 20% to sheriff’s offices. Orleans Parish will be receiving 6.29% of settlement dollars, however, due to ongoing litigation, the exact amount is subject to change. The state of Louisiana drafted an MOU that establishes allowable uses for the funds, outlines the amount allocated to parishes across the state, and designates the creation of an advisory task force known as the Louisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force (LaOATF). According to the MOU, settlement funds are to be used in four priority areas: 1) treatment; 2) prevention; 3) supporting first responders; and 4) leadership development, research and training.

What is the City’s plan for spending the funds?

In 2024, a contract was awarded to Tulane University to conduct a needs assessment to determine the most impactful ways the City could spend their settlement funds. The team from Tulane University conducted a literature review; facilitated stakeholder meetings with treatment providers, public health agencies, public safety agencies, harm reduction services providers, and people who use drugs; and distributed a community-based survey that received over 140 responses.

The findings from this process pointed to a need for better engagement with individuals who use drugs and addressing the barriers preventing them from accessing the resources they need, with an approach founded in harm reduction. As a result of these findings, the New Orleans Health Department released a Notice of Funding Availability in January of 2025 based on Tulane's recommendations.

Download the Tulane University Recommendations  

 

In addition to Tulane’s recommendations, the City has already allocated settlement funds to go towards staffing needs for opioid-related projects—including overdose response trainings and the New Orleans Overdose Fatality Review panel--and naloxone for the New Orleans EMS, Fire Department, and Police Department. For these and all future expenses, the City is utilizing the Johns Hopkins’ Principles for the Use of Funds from the Opioid Litigation to guide their decision-making.