Settlement Funds Research Articles

OASAS will deliver free test strips and naloxone to New Yorkers

New Yorkers can get free fentanyl test strips, xylazine test strips and/or naloxone from the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). These can be requested from the local Opioid Overdose Prevention Program or a pharmacy, according to OASAS, if supplies are needed immediately. For a directory of Opioid Overdose Prevention Programs, go here. Delivery will take two weeks, according to OASAS. To order the test strips and naloxone, submit a request through the website: https://forms.ny.gov/s3/Harm‐Reduction‐Order‐Form. The initiative is paid for by the Opioid Settlement Fund.

The Rise of Xylazine Shows Why Local Data Must Inform Policy and Spending Decisions

Local governments have been given direct control over a substantial amount of opioid settlement funding. While state-level data sources are valuable inputs, city and county leaders should consider local data sources when making decisions to ensure timely responses to emerging threats, as is exemplified by the rise of xylazine.

The North Carolina Model for Opioid Settlements: Partnering to Equip Local Governments’ Overdose Response

Guided by the North Carolina Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), local governments are investing national opioid settlement funds to respond to the overdose crisis. Community Opioid Resources Engine for North Carolina (CORE-NC) partners have developed tools and resources that local governments are using as they plan, implement, and report on their opioid overdose response.

The Role of Local Health Departments in Addressing the Opioid Crisis and Deploying Opioid Settlement Funds

This article examines the evolving role of local health departments in North Carolina’s opioid crisis response. Highlighting strategies like community mobilization, data prioritization, and regional partnerships, it illustrates the impact of opioid settlement funds in empowering local health departments to manage behavioral health systems and implement effective opioid abatement interventions.

Leveraging co-production within ecosystem restoration to maximize benefits to coastal birds

Coastal Louisiana's ecosystems are threatened by anthropogenic factors exacerbated by climate change induced sea-level rise. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in injuries and deaths to coastal birds in Louisiana, and the ongoing loss of habitat has limited the potential for successful nesting of resident birds throughout the coast. Habitat loss is being addressed through increased large-scale ecosystem restoration as a result of settlement funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To further inform bird restoration in Louisiana, an avian restoration guidance document (Guidance for Coastal Ecosystem Restoration and Monitoring to Create or Improve Bird-NestingHabitat, 2023) was developed to maximize restoration benefits for coastal breeding birds while also achieving broader habitat restoration objectives. The developed restoration guidance was co-produced by subject-matter experts and professionals, including avian experts, engineers, and coastal restoration project managers. The result of this cross-disciplinary effort was specific and targeted guidance that presents designable habitat features that are in the control of project engineers and are also important high-value bird nesting habitats (e.g., shoreline access, elevation heterogeneity and edge habitat). For the first time in Louisiana, defined nest-site characteristics and monitoring approaches are readily available to inform ecosystem restoration project implementation. The restoration document specifically emphasizes bird species that breed and nest in coastal habitats in Louisiana, and restoration managers can use these guidelines to explicitly incorporate bird nesting habitat features into coastal restoration planning, design, and implementation. In developing this guidance, many knowledge gaps and data needs were identified specific to engineering and project design, enabling the research community to frame research questions around specific coastal restoration questions. The co-production of science model applied here for avian resources is applicable to a wide range of other living marine resources that may benefit from large-scale ecosystem restoration and is an example of the benefits of working relationships, communications, and common goal setting.

The Pendulum: The Need to Develop a Safe, Effective, and Equitable Management Strategy for Opioids in Cancer Patients.

The opioid epidemic has caused major morbidity and mortality to Americans. Although there are multiple sources of this staggering issue, one inciting factor has been the use of opioids to manage pain. Although recent efforts have changed care pathways for patients with chronic pain, the first-line management of cancer pain remains opioids. Despite this, there is very little evidence and no guidelines/regulations to assist in the management of these patients. Although the literature suggests a number of current barriers to identifying and managing the challenges (such as the preferred management of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), the optimal approach to taperering, or approaches to disparities), there are no concrete strategies for providers to manage these circumstances. Investing in further research utilizing the national opioid settlement funding, exploring the equity gaps using community based participatory research and community health worker models, and increasing provider education pathways are all potential approaches to improving this issue. These solutions could help identify and address some of the gaps that affect cancer patients taking opioids for pain.

NY OTPs speak out on governor's proposal to cut OASAS budget

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed cutting the budget of the state's Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) by more than 13% and supplanting the funding with money from the opioid settlement fund. This, according to treatment providers and other experts, is not good policy.

In Case You Haven't Heard…

Checks are being written from the opioid settlement fund bank account, and news reports scattered across the nation feature proud local officials talking about what they're going to do with the money, which, although it's in the millions of dollars per county, isn't going to be enough. For example, in Huntington, West Virginia, $2.7 million will be used for its comprehensive opioid abatement plan that includes treatment. Last week, Huntington city attorney Rusty Webb presented the first of 14 checks to the city council, according to a report in local newspaper The Herald‐Dispatch. “The City of Huntington was the first city in West Virginia, and if I'm not mistaken, in the country to take out a lawsuit against the distributors as well as the manufacturers of opioids trying to fight that scourge,” Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said. Williams added that the six‐year battle for the money could not have been accomplished without the help of Webb, who is one of the private attorneys suing on behalf of localities for the funds.

How cy pres promotes transdisciplinary convergence science: an academic health center for women's cardiovascular and brain health.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is largely preventable, and the leading cause of death for men and women. Though women have increased life expectancy compared to men, there are marked sex disparities in prevalence and risk of CVD-associated mortality and dementia. Yet, the basis for these and female-male differences is not completely understood. It is increasingly recognized that heart and brain health represent a lifetime of exposures to shared risk factors (including obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension) that compromise cerebrovascular health. We describe the process and resources for establishing a new research Center for Women's Cardiovascular and Brain Health at the University of California, Davis as a model for: (1) use of the cy pres principle for funding science to improve health; (2) transdisciplinary collaboration to leapfrog progress in a convergence science approach that acknowledges and addresses social determinants of health; and (3) training the next generation of diverse researchers. This may serve as a blueprint for future Centers in academic health institutions, as the cy pres mechanism for funding research is a unique mechanism to leverage residual legal settlement funds to catalyze the pace of scientific discovery, maximize innovation, and promote health equity in addressing society's most vexing health problems.

Neo-liberalizing social service provision: Reactions and responses to the limits and constraints of housing and settlement services for refugees in Toronto, Canada

ABSTRACT This article engages with the impacts of neoliberalism on the experiences of social service providers working with refugees searching for shelter and affordable housing in Toronto, Canada. The 1990s in Toronto consisted of intergovernmental restructuring, which downloaded federal housing responsibilities onto provincial and municipal governments. Additionally, changes made to settlement funding had direct impacts on non-profit organizations serving immigrants and refugees. This devolution and decentralization of Canada's housing and settlement services have led to a complex hybrid of informal and formal social networks. Based on semi-structured interviews with service providers, this study reveals institutional gaps in Toronto's housing and settlement support models. This paper enriches scholarly debates on (1) neoliberal cities, (2) social service provision for immigrants and refugees, and (3) informal social networks, by engaging with critical feminist frameworks that highlight the importance of a profound understanding of the types of informal networks developed by social service providers.

In Case You Haven't Heard…

So, a [National Institute on Drug Abuse] NIDA‐funded study has found that telehealth buprenorphine initiations result in marginally longer retention rates than non‐telehealth (see page 5). The low retention rate overall — less than half of the patients in Kentucky and less than one third in Ohio — will be discussed in future issues, as will possible indications for who will do better in telehealth, and possible confounders in that study. The differences — 48% vs. 44%, and 32% vs. 28% — are not that large. The support by the federal government for telehealth is echoed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, and almost all physicians, who support it for prescribing of all controlled substances. Somehow, the idea of physicians prescribing controlled substances without ever examining the patient — something that some 40,000 commenters, plus all the major medical associations, to a proposed rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration have said that they want (see https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.33912) — seems odd as the nation is still reeling from overdose deaths caused, many believe, by the overprescribing of opioids more than 10 years ago. Entire opioid settlement funds, now being scooped up by anyone who can get them, are based on that premise.

Reviewing the Impact of the Opioid Overdose Epidemic on the Mental Wellbeing of First Responders

The opioid overdose epidemic is a growing concern for first responders on the front lines. Yet, limited knowledge exists regarding the psychological impacts from repeated exposure to overdose events. Using a scoping review approach, authors searched scholarly databases for a combination of related keywords including first responders, mental health, and opioid epidemic. Twenty-three (23) peer reviewed articles met criteria for inclusion. Six (6) additional non-refereed reports were also included. Frequently cited concerns included increased/unmanageable workloads, burnout, compassion fatigue, safety, negative attitudes/cynicism, cumulative/repeated exposures, and frustration with lack of resources. Several resources described proactive measures to mitigate the consequences. One such measure is a Behavioral Health Access Program (BHAP), a comprehensive, specialized program designed to address the mental health needs of first responders. Opioid settlement funding should be utilized to support the development of BHAPs in all first responder organizations to mitigate the negative mental health impacts inflicted by the epidemic.

The Opioid Settlements—Will the First Steps Be in the Right Direction?

This JAMA Forum discusses ways the opioid settlement funds could be used to save lives today and in the future, aspects of the decisions surrounding funding, and the importance of measuring progress.

Modeling Analysis and Study of Unbalanced Funds Impact on Power Spot Market with High Share of Clean Energy

Under the background of "double carbon" and large-scale grid connection of clean energy, the uncertainty of clean energy output and the market reforms to deal with this uncertainty will affect the interests of market participants through settlement and unbalanced funds. Focusing on the background of the power spot market for clean energy, this paper first analyzes the unbalanced funds items specific to Chinese power spot market, then conducts a qualitative analysis of the impact of high proportions of clean energy on unbalanced funds. Finally, from the perspective of quantitative analysis, three prediction models for the impact of unbalanced funds are proposed to provide technical means for prediction and evaluation of the changes in the interests of power market participants under the background of China's energy transition in the future.

Principles of creation of securities and features of state regulation of circulation in developed countries

It is noted that two priority directions for the development of the stock market should be determined first when creating a new security. First, it may be the appearance of a new instrument itself, such as the first zero-coupon bond. This is truly a unique type of creativity, which involves the emergence of a qualitatively new technology. Secondly, it can be the design of a tool adapted to solve a specific task by combining already existing technologies. The development of the process of creating securities in different countries is due to the influence of various factors, each of which (or its combination) created the prerequisites for the emergence of new types of securities and new financial schemes. It was determined that in the case of obligations with a fixed rate, the coupon rate of the debt instrument is fixed at the time of issue. The size of the coupon (coupon income) is determined by a number of factors. We call the instrument convertible if it can be exchanged at the discretion of the investor for any other asset of the issuer. As for the corporate issuer, such an asset is usually ordinary shares. The prepayment condition is unattractive to potential investors, so the coupon yield must be raised to sell the instrument. Convertibility, on the other hand, can attract potential investors, and this reduces the coupon size required to sell the instrument. Both recall and convertibility are options. Two main variants of the repayment fund are offered. In the first version of the fund, which is currently the most common, the issuer must periodically buy back a certain part of the volume of the issue in circulation. This redemption can be carried out either in accordance with the terms of early repayment, or by direct access to the open market - depending on the terms of the written issue agreement. In the second option, the issuer makes periodic contributions to a special account controlled by a neutral third party. Income from this account is used to repay the issue when due. Bonds redeemable through such funds are called sinkers in financial jargon. In general, today's settlement funds reduce the level of uncertainty for owners of debt instruments and therefore reduce the required coupon size. However, the degree to which uncertainty is reduced depends largely on the type of settlement fund used.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Abatement from the Opioid Epidemic: A Case Study from Pennsylvania.

Policy Points In 2021, four major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors reached a proposed settlement agreement with 46 state Attorneys General of $26 billion to address their liabilities in fueling the US opioid epidemic. It raises important questions about abatement conceptualization and measurement for allocating settlement funds among substate entities. We outline the political economy tensions undergirding the settlement and allocation, introduce an abatement conceptual framework, describe how an abatement formula was developed for Pennsylvania to allocate settlement funds, and summarize considerations for future settlement allocation efforts. Documenting the challenges and experiences of this task is essential to inform future efforts.

Digital bank transactions and performance of the Indian banking sector

ABSTRACT Our study examines the impact of digital bank transactions on the performance of Indian banks. The study aims to identify the digital mode of transaction parameters that influence financial and operating performance and reduce bank costs. A panel data set has been prepared for 2011 to 2020, considering 32 public and private banks. On the prima facie, the share of public sector banks has declined in the digital mode of transactions on the counterpart of private sector banks. It’s evidenced that a 1% increase in the value of Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Fund Transactions (NEFT) causes a rise of 0.03% and 0.08% in the business per employee, respectively. Indeed, a change in the RTGS and NEFT transaction further explains CASA to Deposit ratio (0.016% and 0.0078%). Also, a change in RTGS shows a prominent effect on the advances (0.7%). Credit card transactions at ATMs and POS have negatively impacted the cost of funds. Our study proposes two practical implications: First, acceleration in promoting RTGS-based transactions is required; consequently, it will enhance the bank’s performance. Secondly, banks should facilitate credit-based digital transactions to lessen the cost of funds.

Opioid settlement fund: NYC plans for its $150 million

Last month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams outlined the city's plans for spending the $150 million in opioid settlement funds secured for the city by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The funds will go toward strengthening existing services, boosting workforce capacity and supporting families who have lost loved ones, according to the city.

Stewarding Opioid Settlement Funds with Transparency and Equity: An Interview with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Carolina had seen encouraging reductions in opioid overdose deaths. In the years since, this trend has unfortunately reversed. In this interview, Guest Editor Carrie Rosario talks with North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein about how the state will use settlement funds to prevent future overdose deaths.

NY opioid settlement money in danger of being co‐opted by the state

Advocates across the country have been eagerly awaiting proceeds from lawsuits against the opioid pharmaceutical industry. The New York State legislature passed a bill designed to make sure that the opioid settlement money did not suffer the same fate as the Master Settlement Agreement between the tobacco industry and states' attorneys general in the late ‘90s in which the money that was supposed to go to treatment for tobacco‐related diseases went instead into the state coffers (see Opioid settlement money for treatment? It's up to the states, ADAW Sept. 13, 2021; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.33186?af=R). The legislature guaranteed that an independent advisory board would make recommendations on how the opioid settlement money would be spent (see New York law paves way for distributing opioid settlement funds to treatment, ADAW July 11, 2021; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.33127). But the first batch of that money, $208 million, has apparently been disappearing into a state‐run secret system in which the advisory board is being shafted. The money is shepherded by the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS).