INDIANAPOLIS -- For Justin Phillips, the millionth dose of Naloxone distributed in Indiana by the organization she founded (Overdose Lifeline) is an achievement borne out of personal tragedy.
”I did lose my child to an opioid overdose…I knew I needed to try to help save others,” Phillips said.
In addition to working with hundreds of families across Indiana who share the same experience, Phillips works to ensure the state puts federal opioid settlement dollars to the best possible use.
”We are all really proud of the public partnership we have with Overdose Lifeline and the State of Indiana,” Phillips said. ”I think Indiana is a leader in a lot of things related to opioid overdose reduction.”
The CDC’s most recent data regarding the opioid crisis in Indiana also shows promise.
”Indiana saw a 19% decrease in overdose deaths for 2024, and so that is higher than the national average,” Douglas Huntsinger, the chairman of the Indiana Commission to Combat Substance Use Disorder, said.
But much of Indiana’s opioid settlement dollars distributed so far haven’t been spent. According to a new commission report released Thursday, roughly 80% of Indiana communities that have received settlement money are still holding onto their restricted funds.
”[For] a lot of them, it is really, ‘What are the requirements around spending these dollars?’ And so, our goal is really to help educate them,” Huntsinger said. ”We do know that there are a number of communities that receive smaller amounts of money, which does make action more difficult, and so, there’s nothing wrong with investing those dollars or letting those dollars build up a little bit over time.”
On Thursday, the commission passed several recommendations to guide communities through the spending process—including the creation of community committees, and ensuring those meetings are open to the public.
”They’re being more strategic, which I think is so important,” Phillips said. “We shouldn’t just throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks, but we should really have a strategy, and that’s what it sounds like we’re doing."
Huntsinger said Indiana will receive $980 million in federal settlement funds over 18 years.