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Opioid Settlement Fund site allows public to track how its being used

Opioid Settlement Fund site allows public to track how its being used

Photo: Clipart.com


BOSTON, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced on Wednesday the launch of a public dashboard that will allow users to track how opioid settlement funds are received, allocated, and spent across Massachusetts. The Statewide Opioid Settlement Funds Dashboard will show how the funds are used in prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery efforts across the state.

From the Department of Public Health:

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the launch of a public-facing dashboard that will allow users to track how opioid settlement funds are received, allocated, and spent across Massachusetts.

The Statewide Opioid Settlement Funds Dashboard, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), provides interactive access to comprehensive information on how these settlement funds are being stewarded for substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery efforts across the state.

The launch of the dashboard coincides with the release of Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) state and municipal opioid settlement spending data.

“The Opioid Settlement Dashboard underscores our commitment to providing clear, accessible information to residents about how settlement dollars are being invested both at the state and municipal levels,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kiame Mahaniah, MD. “This tool allows for greater public awareness and input to continue informing decisions around how these critical resources are being put to use.”

“The launch of this dashboard is about more than simply providing data – it reflects the Department’s ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and fostering public trust,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Residents can feel confident in knowing that these once-in-a-generation funds are being managed strategically and equitably to address the devastating impacts of the overdose crisis in Massachusetts.”

Massachusetts is expected to receive $1 billion over 18 years as part of sweeping nationwide settlements with pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and retailers relating to allegations brought against them in connection with the opioid overdose crisis. The Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund (ORRF) was established in 2020 to receive and administer the state’s share of settlement funds.

Per the state-subdivision agreement, 40 percent of funds are allocated to municipalities, while 60 percent are allocated directly to the ORRF. 

The new dashboard allows the public to explore settlement funding by fiscal year; the state’s share through ORRF; and the local portion under Municipal Opioid Abatement Funds. It also includes key financial performance indicators, funds expended by region, spending categories, and project types. The dashboard will be updated annually.

Municipalities reported $107.7 million in available settlement funds in FY25, with more than $13.2 million spent during the fiscal year — the highest level of annual municipal spending since settlement funds began flowing to communities.

Many communities are still in the process of assessing local needs, engaging residents and people with lived experience, and identifying evidence-based approaches prior to spending funds to ensure strategic investments in sustainable programs that will have a lasting impact.

For the state’s share, ORRF received $40 million from opioid settlement payments in FY25. Combined with funds carried over from prior years, a total of $61 million in ORRF funds were spent in the fiscal year.

Through ORRF, a total of $13 million in multi-year Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership (Mosaic)grants were awarded last year to municipalities and their nonprofit partners, and community-based organizations to support substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs. Mosaic is a collaboration created in 2024 between DPH/BSAS and RIZE Massachusetts to increase the equitable allocation of ORRF grants to small community-based organizations and municipalities.

Mosaic grants were awarded in three rounds to 56 recipients. The most recent round of awards was for $7.5 million over three years to eight community-based organizations offering support services to children and families impacted by the opioid crisis. Award recipients were:

  • Cape Cod Children’s Place
  • Enlace de Familias/Holyoke Family Network, Inc.
  • GAAMHA, Inc.
  • HALO Initiatives
  • Learn to Cope, Inc.
  • Martha’s Vineyard Youth Task Force
  • New Beginnings Reentry Services
  • Pathways for Children, Inc.

“The Mosaic grant-making program is just one example of the kind of investments the public can see and track on our Opioid Settlement Fund Dashboard,” said Deirdre Calvert, Director of DPH’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. “We want families and communities, especially those hardest hit by the opioid crisis, to have a clear, accessible view of how settlement dollars are being strategically invested to make a measurable difference.”

To date, ORRF has received over $219 million in opioid settlement funds.

The ORRF Advisory Council is currently implementing a five-year spending plan (FY25-FY28) in alignment with its strategic priorities rooted in addressing disparities to ensure the fund is maximizing its impact in the state’s efforts to combat the overdose epidemic.

Explore the new dashboard and learn more about opioid settlement funding.

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