Boulder County announced $3.95 million in funding for 21 community, city and county programs addressing opioid use in a Dec. 16 press release from county officials. The funding is a chunk of the more than $30 million in opioid settlement dollars it expects to receive through 2038 — the county’s share of an award from Colorado’s lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for the over-prescription and deceptive marketing of painkillers.
Funding was available for programs in five different goal areas: substance use prevention and education, overdose prevention and response, harm reduction, treatment and recovery.
The county awarded $2.96 million in funding from opioid settlement dollars from 2023 to 2024.
Programs will receive funds for 2025 and 2026. Award recipients include the City of Longmont’s REWiND Program, Boulder County Public Health’s Youth Opioid Overdose Response program and recovery facilities across the county. The funding also provides dollars for harm reduction vending machines, stocked with overdose-reversing Naloxone, to CU Boulder Boulder and Boulder Community Health.
In other news…
- The historic Boulder County Courthouse has been designated a National Historic Landmark for its significance in LGBTQ+ history, county officials announced Monday, Dec. 16. Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex issued the first same-sex marriage license in the nation there in 1975.
- CU Boulder cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter became the second Buff to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy on Monday, Dec. 16. Hunter also set CU's single-season record for most touchdowns by a Buffaloes receiver (14) and last week was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year.
- Participants in Elevate, Boulder’s direct cash assistance initiative, are more able to afford food, rent and utilities, according to a report on the eight-month old pilot program, along with experienced reduced psychological distress. Read more: bit.ly/ElevateReportBW.
- The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the “suspicious death” of a 49-year-old woman found near Jamestown, according to a Dec. 15 Boulder County Sheriff’s release. Two people are being questioned in connection with her death; authorities believe there is no threat to the public at this time. The names of the woman and the other two people have not yet been released.