The DSM-5 considers opioid use disorder (OUD) and other substance use disorders (SUDs) as mental health conditions that affect a person’s brain and behavior. The neurological impacts on the brain make it difficult for some consumers to control their subsequent use of substances. OUD and SUDs are preventable and treatable conditions. However, increased prescription and availability of opioids in the 1990s triggered an opioid epidemic that has killed nearly one million Americans between 1999 through 2020 according to the CDC.

As a result of these deaths and the enormous societal costs imposed by the opioid epidemic, numerous local and state jurisdictions engaged in litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors, resulting in two separate Master Settlement Agreements (one in 2021 and the other in 2022) totaling $56 billion to be allocated to these participating jurisdictions for damages. The majority of the funds must be used for abatement of the opioid epidemic, addressing present and future harms from opioid misuse, including expanding the treatment infrastructure to address OUD.

While numerous guides have been produced providing evidence-based strategies by experts in the field, the question on how best to use these funds to set up and sustain evidence-based treatment models for addiction have not been carefully considered in many jurisdictions, nor has the importance of integrating this care with mental health needs. As the settlement dollars are beginning to flow to jurisdictions, there is an urgent need to discuss promising models of care and the infrastructure needed to support the delivery of these models of care.

Discussion topics may include:

• Policy implications of selected abatement interventions
• The importance of effective, affordable treatment for reducing future harms
• Effective care models for OUD/SUD
• How care models can integrate mental health services and social determinants of health, and improve outcomes
• Addressing equity issues in access to effective, affordable, and appropriate treatments
• Measuring performance for addiction treatment, inclusive of equity and mental health concerns