Red Bank Adds $73,562 In Opioid Settlement Funds To Revenue

RED BANK, NJ — The Red Bank Borough Council approved adding $73,562 from the National Opioid Abatement Trust II to its revenue budget this year.

And Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano at a council meeting Thursday suggested the money could be used for a pilot program that would bring in a social worker to work with the Police Department.

She said it was a "good use of those funds" and was "in line with why the money was given to the borough.”

Mayor Billy Portman also said he received an email about the need to help those with limited means or who may also have drug problems.

Interim Business Administrator Darren O'Connell said he could look into how that sort of position could be funded, and would discuss it with the finance officer in the borough.

He said there may be a way to use an existing employee in that capacity, or contract for such a service.

Councilmember Laura Jannone, a nurse, suggested the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, which operates addiction recovery and support programs in Asbury Park, would be a good source of information about potential services for Red Bank.

McConnell said the borough has received about $50,000 of the settlement and expects the remainder soon. The borough is required to report regularly on how funds are used, he said.

According to New Jersey's Department of Human Services website, the state of New Jersey will be receiving $641 million in opioid settlement funds to be paid through 2038, to be used to fund state and local programs focused on treatment, prevention, and other strategies to combat the opioid epidemic in the state.