Funds received from a recent opioid settlement will fund an awareness day at Westbrook High School next spring.

Westbrook received $4,104.11 as part of a larger settlement related to the opioid crisis. The Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted at its Nov. 8 meeting to utilize $1,200 of those funds for an awareness day next May. The additional $2,901.11 will be allocated to the Health Department.

At the BOS meeting on Oct. 11, Finance Director Donna Castracane told the Board that the Town had received the money as part of a federal settlement. The money stems from a major settlement finalized in early 2022. Four companies — Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson – agreed to pay $26 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits brought against the companies that alleged their business practices have contributed to the opioid epidemic across the nation. The four companies admitted to no wrongdoing in the settlement.

Once the Town received the money, it was up to the BOS to decide how to allocate the money. BOS member Chet Bialicki put together a memo for the other board members that explained why he felt a speaker at awareness day would be an appropriate use of the money. In the memo, Bialicki explained that the day is a student-driven event aimed at promoting physical and mental health. The event was last held in 2018 but will return in May 2023.

Bialicki wrote that the planning committee for the event was interested in having a speaker who can address opioid abuse.

“Since opioids are among the most addictive drugs, the students would like a well versed knowledgeable professional with experience to address this situation,” said Bialicki.

Bialicki said that money allocated for the day would pay for a speaker on the subject who could deliver a keynote speech and then have the students participate in breakout sessions.

The BOS received Bialicki’s proposal at its Oct. 27 meeting and approved the request at its next meeting.

Opioid use is a problem across the United States and Connecticut is no exception. According to statistics from the State of Connecticut, the number of lives lost to unintentional drug overdoses in Connecticut has continued to increase, up to 1,528 in 2021 from 1,374 in 2020. Those statistics show a significant increase in deaths from 2012 to 2021, by 327 percent, and 93 percent of all overdose deaths were attributed to an opioid, with fentanyl being the most popular.

To help combat the issue in the state earlier this year the legislature passed HB 5430, An Act Concerning Opioids. The bill allowed for items like evidence-based treatments and harm reduction measures as well as expanded mobile access to methadone. The bill also legalized fentanyl testing strips and implements a “peer navigator” pilot program to serve people struggling with opioid use.