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MA Eyes Fund for Overdose Victim Families Amidst Settlement Woes
9 Jan
Summary
- Massachusetts plans to create a fund for families of overdose victims.
- Settlement funds are largely unspent, prompting calls for direct aid.
- The fund will help cover funeral costs and other expenses for grieving families.
Massachusetts is preparing to become one of the first states to establish a fund offering direct financial assistance to families who have lost relatives to overdoses. This initiative arises from the devastating financial strain many parents endure, often depleting savings to pay for addiction treatment and related expenses. When an overdose occurs, families are frequently left with no money for funeral services or burial plots.
A coalition of agencies will deploy $1.25 million over three years from pharmaceutical legal settlements to aid families in five hard-hit Massachusetts communities. This fund will cover funeral costs, behavioral health bills, and other expenses, also supporting grandparents raising orphaned grandchildren due to overdose deaths. The program addresses the significant amount of opioid settlement money, totaling $1 billion for Massachusetts over 18 years, that has remained largely unspent.
Despite billions allocated to combat addiction, a substantial portion of opioid settlement funds in Massachusetts remains in government coffers. Less than 8 percent of municipal funds were spent on addiction services as of June 2024. This new fund seeks to rectify the situation, ensuring that grieving families receive much-needed support after losing loved ones to the opioid crisis, a need highlighted by personal stories of financial hardship.
