Connecticut State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services

CT Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee

Contact

Luiza Barnat, MS, MBA, LMFT, Director of Opioid Services
(860) 418-6828 | Luiza.Barnat@ct.gov

Background

During the 2022 legislative session Public Act 22-48, AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE USE OF OPIOID LITIGATION PROCEEDS was passed into law. The Act establishes a new Advisory Committee, co-chaired by DMHAS and a representative from the municipalities, to ensure the proceeds received by the state as part of the opioid litigation settlement agreements are allocated appropriately. The Act specifies the proceeds will be spent on substance use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports, and resources for prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction with public involvement, transparency, and accountability.

Opioid Settlement Funding Recommendation Process

If you have a recommendation for consideration for Opioid Settlement Funding, please submit your recommendation to OSAC@ct.gov.  Please note funding recommendations are not applications for funding and submissions do not guarantee that the submitter will receive funding from the Department. We appreciate your input and will vet it through the following process:

Recommendations for Opioid Settlement Funding will be sent to the appropriate Alcohol and Drug Policy Council (ADPC) subcommittee for review. If deemed to be appropriate for Opioid Settlement Funding by the ADPC subcommittee, the recommendation will be vetted and voted on by the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC). Please note all recommendations are considered funding suggestions, not a funding application or grant proposal. If your recommendation is approved by OSAC, it may result in a Request for Proposals, at which time you may apply for funding.

Members

  • Commissioner Nancy Navarretta, DMHAS (Co-Chair)
  • Neil O’Leary, Mayor, City of Waterbury (Co-Chair)
  • Judy Dowd, OPM Budget Analyst (Designee, OPM Secretary)
  • Timothy Birch, Attorney (Designee, Attorney General)
  • Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly, DCF (Ex-Officio) (DCF Commissioner)
  • Deputy Commissioner Jody Terranova, DPH (Ex-Officio) (DPH Commissioner)
  • Susan Campion, New Haven (Designee, Senate President)
  • Kimberly Grove, West Hartford (Designee, House Speaker)
  • Liz Fitzgerald, Southington (Designee, Senate Majority Leader)
  • Christian Spencer (Senate Minority Leader or Designee)
  • Kyle Zimmer (Designee, House Majority Leader)
  • Lisa Deane, Madison (Designee, House Minority Leader)
  • Sen. Catherine Osten (Senate Appropriations Chair or Designee)
  • Rep. Toni Walker (House Appropriations Chair)
  • Senator Saud Anwar, or designee (Public Health Committee Chair)
  • Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey, or designee (Public Health Committee Chair)
  • Ebony Jackson Shaheed, City of Hartford (Municipal Representative)
  • Elinor Carbone, Mayor, City of Torrington (Municipal Representative)
  • Maritza Bond, City of New Haven (Municipal Representative) 
  • Donna Culbert, Town of Newtown (Municipal Representative)
  • Thomas Dunn, Mayor, Town of Wolcott (Municipal Representative)
  • Bridget Fox, Chief of Staff to the Mayor, City of Stamford (Municipal Representative)
  • Tracey Hanson, First Selectwoman, Town of Voluntown (Municipal Representative)
  • Paul Januszewski, Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director, Town of North Haven (Municipal Representative)
  • Rudy Marconi, First Selectman, Town of Ridgefield (Municipal Representative)
  • Lisa Marotta, Mayor, Town of Rocky Hill (Municipal Representative)
  • Robert Miller, Town of Coventry (Municipal Representative)
  • Jeanne Milstein, Director of Human Services, City of New London (Municipal Representative)
  • Maureen Nicholson, First Selectwoman, Town of Pomfret (Municipal Representative)
  • Dawn Niles, Town Council Member, Town of Windham (Municipal Representative)
  • Erica Teixeira, Assistant Director for Social, Youth & Senior Services, Town of Wethersfield (Municipal Representative)
  • Russell Melmed, Colchester (Municipal Representative)
  • Dr. Elizabeth Rivera-Rodriguez, Director of Health and Human Services, City of Bridgeport (Municipal Representative)
  • Patrick McCormack, Uncas Health District (Municipal Representative)
  • Amy Bethge, Town of New Milford (Municipal Representative) 
  • Megan Albanese, City of Southington (Municipal Representative) 
  • Pareesa Charmchi-Goodwin (Executive Director, Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health)
  • Jennifer Kolakowski (Provider of Community-Based Substance Use Treatment for Adults)
  • Dan Rezende (Provider of Community-Based Substance Use Treatment for Adolescents)
  • Dr. Srinivas Muvvala (Addiction Medicine Licensed Health Care Professional with Prescribing Ability)
  • John Lally (Persons/Family Members with Lived Experience)
  • Christine Gagnon (Persons/Family Members with Lived Experience)
  • Kennard Ray (Persons/Family Members with Lived Experience)
  • Maggie Young (Individual with experience supporting infants and children affected by the opioid crisis)
  • Dr. Marilyn Sanders (Indvidual with experience supporting infants and children affected by the opioid crisis)  
     
Meetings

OSAC Information

Municipal Reporting

If you are a municipality, please click the link below to complete and submit the annual report detailing its expenditures for the preceding fiscal year:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WTHK65V

**CLOSED** How to Make a Funding Request to OSAC (Open from October 17, 2023, through November 17, 2023)

CORE Report

Subcommittee Meetings - Meetings are scheduled ad hoc. 

Governance Committee/ Bylaws Subcommittee - 6/9/23

Finance/Compliance Subcommittee - 4/20/23; 6/12/23, 7/12/23, 8/21/23, 10/10/23, 11/13/23

Process Subcommittee - 4/18/23; 5/16/23; 6/20/23; 7/18/23; 8/22/23; 9/19/23, 10/24/23; 10/30/23

Public Participation Guidelines Subcommittee - 4/24/23; 5/15/23; 7/24/23; 8/28/23

Research/Data Subcommittee - 4/19/23; 5/19/23; 6/23/23; 7/28/23; 8/25/23; 9/28/23; 11/3/23; 11/9/23

Referral Subcommittee - 6/29/23; 7/25/23; 8/29/23; 9/26/23; 10/31/23; 11/9/23

Materials

  • National Opioid Settlement Payments (Distributor and Janssen) - Municipalities' Share - PLEASE NOTE: This public dashboard was created by the Directing Administrator of the Distributor Settlement Agreement, dated as of July 21, 2021, between and among the Settling States, the Settling Distributors, and Participating Subdivisions (the “Distributor Settlement Agreement”) and the Janssen Settlement Agreement, dated as of July 21, 2021, between and among the Settling States, Janssen, and Participating Subdivisions (the “Janssen Settlement Agreement,” and together with the Distributor Settlement Agreement, the “Settlement Agreements”). All capitalized terms used in this dashboard have the meanings set forth in the Settlement Agreements.

    The calculations below are the amounts that the indicated State(s) and/or Subdivision(s) would receive pursuant to the Settlement Agreements if all relevant facts and circumstances were to remain unchanged. Be advised, however, that the relevant facts and circumstances, including but not limited to current levels of State and Subdivision participation, are subject to change and thus, there are no guarantees regarding the amounts or timing of any future payment(s). The amounts and timing of any future payments will be governed by the terms of the Settlement Agreements. 
    Payment timing and amounts are subject to change and may be affected by, among other things, increased participation in a State, a State’s eligibility for Incentive Payment D, and suspensions or offsets related to Later Litigating Subdivisions. See, e.g., Section IV, Section XII, and Section XIII of the Distributor Settlement Agreement and Section V and Section IX of the Janssen Settlement Agreement. Payment timing and amounts may also be affected by the Pre-payment Option and/or Significant Financial Constraint provisions of the Distributor Settlement Agreement (Section IV. J and Section IV. K). Please also note that these calculations do not take into account any Settlement Fund Administrator costs and fees that exceed the available interest accrued in the Settlement Fund.
  • Opioid Services Overview (May 2023)
  • Connecticut Opioid REsponse (CORE) Strategic Plan (update May 2023)
  • Exhibit E: List of Opioid Remediation Uses
  • Press Release: Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to Open Portal to Collect Public Input on Funding of Initiatives to Combat the Opioid Crisis (10/3/23)