RES-2023-022-Opioid Litigation Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds

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RES - 2023 -022 RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF ORANGE COUNTY AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF OPIOID SETTLEMENTS AND APPROVING THE SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS BETWEEN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON PROCEEDS RELATING TO THE SETTLEMENT OF OPIOID LITIGATION WHEREAS , the opioid overdose epidemic had taken the lives of more than 32 , 000 North Carolinians (2000 -2021 ) ; and WHEREAS , the COVID - 19 pandemic has compounded the opioid overdose crisis , increasing levels of drug misuse , addiction, and overdose death; and WHEREAS , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $ 78 . 5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare , lost productivity , addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement; and WHEREAS , certain counties and municipalities in North Carolina joined with thousands of local governments across the country to file lawsuits against opioid manufacturers , pharmaceutical distribution companies , and chain drug stores to hold those companies accountable for their misconduct ; and WHEREAS , settlements have been reached in litigation against Walmart, Inc . , Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd . , Allergan Finance , LLC , Allergan Limited, CVS Health Corporation, j CVS Pharmacy, Inc . , and Walgreen Co . , as well as their subsidiaries , affiliates , officers , and directors named in the these Settlements ; and i WHEREAS , representatives of local North Carolina governments , the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners , and the North Carolina Department of Justice have negotiated and prepared a Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds ( SAAF) to provide for the equitable distribution of the proceeds of these settlements ; and WHEREAS , by joining the settlements and approving the SAAF , the state and local governments maximize North Carolina ' s hare of o ioid settlement funds to ensure the needed a s s p resources reach communities , as quickly, effectively, and directly as possible ; and WHEREAS , it is advantageous to all North Carolinians for local governments , including Orange County and its residents , to sign onto the settlements and SAAF and demonstrate solidarity in response to the opioid overdose crisis , and to maximize the share of opioid settlement funds received both in the state and Orange County to help abate the harm; and WHEREAS , the SAAF directs substantial resources over multiple years to local governments on the front lines of the opioid overdose epidemic while ensuring that these resources are used in an effective way to address the crisis . NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED , that the Board of Commissioners of Orange County hereby authorizes the County Manager to execute all documents necessary to enter into opioid