Lotrich: Local partnerships expands county’s options

An orientation to the Opioid Remediation Collaborative (ORC) was presented by Shauna Hartley, ORC consultant, on October 29 at the Socorro convention center during the LC7 Mental Health Retreat.

Local school district superintendents, the Socorro County manager , representatives from Puerto Seguro, SCOPE, Herron Solutions, The Learning Path, and other community stakeholders were in attendance.

The ORC is a group of seven New Mexico counties that was developed in response to the opioid legal settlement with pharmaceutical companies identified as being involved in the opioid crisis. The ORC is comprised of Catron, Cibola, Guadalupe, Hidalgo, Sierra, Socorro and Valencia counties. According to their website, the idea is to have an alliance pool for their settlement funds and develop a comprehensive treatment system to address the opioid crisis.

According to the ORC website, approximately $50 billion dollars from the settlement will be distributed nationwide, including federally recognized tribes. The New Mexico Opioid Allocation Agreement allocates over $195 million, with 45% of that for the state and 55% shared among counties and municipalities.

Currently Socorro County and Catron County will receive $181,324.48 and $140,283.79, respectively. According to the New Mexico Department of Justice, additional transfers will take place over the next 18 years.

After meetings with each county Hartley said during the presentation that the ORC has identified three prevention and three treatment strategies.

The prevention strategies include creating youth media campaigns, providing a prevention curriculum in high schools, and Narcan training that extends to community members.

The treatment strategies are to assemble a recovery team of experts to assist in inpatient and outpatient services, implement a seven-county treatment navigation model, and explore supported housing and non-medical transportation options for opioid use disorder clients.

Jason Frame, a certified peer support worker and community service worker, who was in attendance, said that even after listening to the presentation and attempting to get clarification, he was still unsure how and what the funds could be spent on.

He believes programs like Puerto Seguro seem to be heading in the right direction, keeping people safe from the elements and the criminal environment in Socorro.

“I don’t believe that throwing money at a problem without having a model to feed into and build upon is in our best interest,” Frame said.

Puerto Seguro Board Chair Shay Kelley said she was grateful that the ORC came to Socorro to answer their questions.

“It’s critical that this $6 million in funding is used in a way that’s going to make an impact on the victims of the opioid crisis in New Mexico. The funding came from a settlement with the pharmaceutical companies, and it’s the only justice that the victims of this epidemic will be given,” Kelley said.

Socorro County Manager Andrew Lotrich, who now serves on the ORC board previously held by County Commissioner Glenn Duggins, was also in attendance.

“Socorro County looks forward to the continued partnership with ORC to bring prevention, treatment and recovery programs to our county. By partnering with our neighboring counties, we can expand our options and increase support services,” Lotrich said.

In a Hearing Brief published by New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee published in May 2024, it said, beginning in 2017, the New Mexico Attorney General entered the state into a series of lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and retailers for their roles in exacerbating the opioid crisis. The state successfully settled with six entities, generating $884 million for remediation of the opioid crisis. To date, the state has received at least $90 million.

The brief reports that overdose deaths in 2021 in Socorro had the second highest death rate in the state 121.99 per 100,000. Rio Arriba had 129 per 100,000. The report also notes that overdose death rates in Cibola, Socorro, Sierra, and Valencia Counties all increased rapidly during the pandemic, largely driven by fentanyl.

To find out more about the ORC, visit: www.orcnm.com