Community Medical Centers is aiding in the fight against substance abuse in Stockton with opioid settlement money.
City Council announced last year it would be giving CMC $4.5 million in national opioid settlement money over three years to expand their existing substance use disorder treatment.
The healthcare nonprofit, which provides medical, dental and behavioral health care throughout San Joaquin, Solano and Yolo counties, gave a presentation to the Stockton City Council last month about the team’s work throughout the city utilizing opioid settlement agreement funding to address substance abuse.
CMC has said it is largely using the money to combat existing substance use disorder treatment in Stockton mainly through their rehabilitation facility called the Respite Center.
Alfonso Apu, the director of Behavioral Health at CMC, told the Council during a presentation at its July 9 meeting that the center, which opened in 2022, has made good progress. The center offers up to 13 beds for two-week stays to assist patients in addressing mild withdrawal symptoms, with onsite services including one on one support, behavioral and substance abuse counseling, group counseling and intensive case management.
From February to April, Apu said 35 people were helped at the center, with over half of them having completed the full 14-day treatment program. Highlighted success stories included a patient who recently graduated from college and another who’s working toward a certification for substance use disorder counseling.
“We have had a couple of gentlemen that came in and out of our services two to three times,” Apu said. “But because of the ability for us to continuously provide the services and give an opportunity to complete it, they remain sober.”
Over the last few years, the U.S. has seen billions of dollars in national opioid settlement agreements over the last few years brought against pharmaceutical distributors such as Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its parent company Johnson & Johnson, as well as large pharmacy chains such as CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
The total funding from these most recent settlement agreements is estimated to reach $43.3 billion nationally. More than $3 billion will be given to California through the next nearly 15 years, according to the state’s Department of Health Care Services.
Stockton got its first $1 million last year under the agreements. The city is expected to receive annual payments for up to nearly 20 years totalling more than $10 million.
According to the Associated Press, more than 100 opioid-related lawsuits have been brought against companies at all levels of the pharmaceutical industry by state, local and Native American tribal governments.
The U.S. saw nearly 645,000 opioid-related overdose deaths from 1999 to 2021, according to the Center for Disease Control, with more than six times as many people dying in 2021 than in 1999. Mayor Kevin Lincoln pointed out that in 2021 there were 48 fentanyl overdose deaths in Stockton, 20 times higher than in 2018.
Opioid settlement funds must be used for substance use prevention, intervention, harm reduction and treatment services, Alex Bailey, program manager for the city of Stockton, previously told Council when the funding was being allocated to CMC last year.
“This agreement is the first of what is anticipated to be multiple initiatives for using funds during the potential 18-year distribution term,” Bailey said. “City staff will explore additional fund uses in collaboration with other community partners.”
Councilmembers praised the CMC and the work it has done for the Stockton community.
“I think it’s the testimonials that are so moving and are the most powerful aspect of this presentation,” Lincoln said last month at the Council’s July meeting. “It’s nothing short of just exceptional work.”
Vice Mayor Kimberly Warmsley agreed.
“Not just with these two programs, but just the historical contributions made by CMC and the community, it’s just second to none,” Warmsley said. “I think that it’s proven organizational leadership and really tackling hard core issues that are often culturally rooted and trauma informed.”
Naomi Jordan is serving an internship with Stocktonia. She attends Arizona State University.