BCAT News

Burlington is set to receive funds from a resolution the state reached with pharmaceutical companies that can be used to help fight opioid use in town.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced a $26 billion resolution with the nation’s largest drug distributors, Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids. From those funds, $525 million have been secured for prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs throughout Massachusetts.

These settlements are the result of an investigation that found that three major opioid distributors shipped thousands of suspicious orders without regard for their legitimacy, and that Johnson & Johnson misled patients and doctors about their addictive nature, a release states.

“Massachusetts led the nation in taking on the opioid industry, and we will lead the nation in delivering prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery,” said AG Healey. “Cities and towns across our state worked together to secure more than half a billion dollars, and we are committed to using every dollar to provide the services that families need.”

Burlington is set to receive a total of $638,080 that will come in annual payments ranging from approximately $28,000 to $71,000 from 2022 through 2038.

During Monday night’s Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Paul Sagarino told the board they had been notified that the first payment will be arriving soon and the next step for the town is to figure out how to use them. He said they cannot be used to offset the costs of services already provided but must be used to supplement existing services or to create new programs.

Select Board member Mike Runyan suggested the town could come up with anti-drug programming for the schools and cover the costs of NARCAN. Sagarino said he will work with interested parties such as the police, schools and Burlington Youth & Family Services to get their input.