Laramie County forms Opioid Settlement Task Force

CHEYENNE (WNE) — Laramie County commissioners on Wednesday announced the formation of an Opioid Settlement Task Force, with the goal of addressing the opioid crisis through identifying needs, resources, solutions and services to best serve county residents. 

This task force consists of representatives from law enforcement, health care, mental health services and various community organizations to allocate the resources the county has received and will continue to receive from the national opioid settlement funds. 

These funds are obtained from legal settlements with companies found to be, in part, responsible for the opioid crisis. They are being distributed to state and local governments across the country to support addiction treatment, prevention programs and other efforts.

County Commissioner Gunnar Malm, the commission’s representative on the task force, said Laramie County has accumulated around $1.4 million worth of these funds over the last year or so, but none of it has been allocated.

In meetings with community members and stakeholders on how to spend these funds, Malm said it was decided that forming a task force would limit duplication of services and make the most efficient and effective use of the funds.

In its first meeting, Malm said the task force identified three populations it will focus on to begin addressing the issue: those in the justice system, those seeking treatment who have not interacted with the justice system and those whose families face generational struggles with opioid addiction.

According to data from the Laramie County Coroner’s office, nearly 56% of all accidental deaths in Laramie County in 2023 were due to drug overdose. Of those 30 drug overdose cases, fentanyl and methamphetamine were found to be the two leading causes, at eight cases each.

This story was published on September 5, 2024.