Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution calls for a Public Health Comprehensive Needs Assessment related to the needs of individuals and communities living with Opioid Use Disorder in Dane County. This resolution also calls for a transfer of $2.4 million from the Dane County Opioid Settlement Funds to the Public Health Madison & Dane County budget to implement the results of the Needs Assessment. No City appropriation required.
Title
Calling for a Public Health Comprehensive Needs Assessment for Use of Opioid Settlement Funds
Body
WHEREAS, in the 1990s, pharmaceutical companies assured the medical community that patients would not become addicted to opioid pain relievers despite having evidence to the contrary, and healthcare providers began to prescribe them at greater rates, leading to widespread misuse of both prescription and non-prescription opioids; and,
WHEREAS, since the opioid epidemic was declared a public health emergency in 2017, it has claimed more than half a million lives; and,
WHEREAS, of the 105,000 people who died from drug overdose in the United States in 2023, 80,000 of them died from an opioid overdose (76%); and,
WHEREAS, nearly 1 in 3 adults reported in a 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation survey that they or a family member have been addicted to opioids; and,
WHEREAS, in 2022, an estimated 6.1 million people ages twelve or older reported having an opioid use disorder; and,
WHEREAS, there are significant racial disparities in the impact of the opioid public health emergency: in 2024, opioid death rates were higher among American Indian/Alasa Native people (35.5 deaths per 100,000 people) and Black people (22.8 per 100,000) than the opioid death rate among white people (17.5 per 100,000); and,
WHEREAS, a 2025 Public Health Madison & Dane County report on overdose deaths in Dane County found that Black people were four times more likely to die of an overdose compared with Dane County as a whole; and,
WHEREAS, that 2025 Public Health Madison & Dane County report cited factors impacting overdose trends among Black people in Dane County, one of which was a “lack of culturally relevant approaches” to treatment, and recommended that we “Address the lack of culturally relevant services by expanding community-led support networks to combat isolation and provide culturally relevant guidance for recovery, developing trauma-informed mental health services designed by and for Black communities, and prioritizing trust-building and cultural humility”; and,
WHEREAS, help is available to people struggling with opioid use disorder at the SAMHSA National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) or findtreatment.gov; and,
WHEREAS, Wisconsin is due to receive Opioid Settlement funding as a result of national litigation against the pharmaceutical industry, 70% of which will be distributed to local governments in accordance with 2021 Wisconsin Act 57; and,
WHEREAS, Opioid Settlement Funds are time-limited and not perpetual, raising concern about their use to establish new programs given the extremely challenging state-imposed financial constraints faced by local governments in Wisconsin; and,
WHEREAS, Dane County’s Opioid Settlement Subcommittee approved budget recommendations in 2025, the development of which did not include a Comprehensive Needs Assessment by our public health experts in Public Health Madison & Dane County; and,
WHEREAS, a comprehensive needs assessment is a systematic, data-driven process used to identify and prioritize community needs through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative information, including epidemiologic data, service utilization trends, stakeholder input, and evidence-based best practices; and,
WHEREAS, Public Health Madison & Dane County conducts comprehensive needs assessments in accordance with public health standards and professional methodologies to ensure that findings and resulting recommendations are grounded in objective evidence, community health data, and documented best practices, rather than political influence or external pressure; and,
WHEREAS, the Madison Common Council is committed to the use of high-quality data, evaluations, and needs assessments when making decisions about public policy and resource allocation; and,
WHEREAS, $2.4 million in Dane County Opioid Settlement Funds were previously proposed to be granted via a Request For Proposals process for a drop-in center that the Board of Health chose not to grant due to process, transparency, and fidelity concerns with the recommended proposal; and,
WHEREAS, the $2.4 in question remains in Dane County’s Health and Human Needs budget and has not yet been allocated to the Public Health Madison & Dane County agency budget;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Madison Common Council respectfully requests that members of the Dane County Health and Human Needs Opioid Settlement Subcommittee recommend the authorization of Public Health Madison & Dane County to conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment related to the needs of individuals and communities living with Opioid Use Disorder in Dane County in a manner that is objective and free from political influence by elected officials.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Madison Common Council respectfully requests that the Dane County Board of Supervisors allocate the $2.4 million in Opioid Settlement Funds to the Public Health Madison & Dane County agency budget.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Madison Common Council respectfully requests that the Dane County Board of Supervisors authorize Public Health Madison & Dane County to spend the $2.4 million in Opioid Settlement Funds in a manner that is aligned with meeting the greatest needs based on the results of their Comprehensive Needs Assessment.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to:
• Members of the Dane County Health and Human Needs Opioid Settlement Subcommittee
• Members of the Madison Dane County Board of Health
• Members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors
• Dane County Executive Melissa Agard