WILMINGTON — Mayor Bill Saffo has appointed Councilmember David Joyner to represent the City of Wilmington on the joint Opioid Settlement Committee, a group tasked with overseeing the local distribution of roughly $36 million in national settlement funds.
The committee is a partnership between the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County and manages money awarded through nationwide settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and retailers accused of contributing to the opioid crisis.
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Over an 18-year period, the city and county are expected to receive approximately $36 million combined. The funds are restricted under settlement agreements and North Carolina guidelines to evidence-based prevention, treatment, recovery and harm-reduction efforts.
Joyner, who works as an Assistant District Attorney in North Carolina’s 6th Prosecutorial District serving New Hanover and Pender counties, has extensive experience in the local recovery landscape. In 2022, he helped oversee the founding of the Veterans Treatment Court, a program designed to connect justice-involved veterans with treatment and support services in lieu of incarceration where appropriate. The program also assists participants with housing, education, employment and veterans benefits.
“I’m grateful to Mayor Saffo for this committee assignment, not only to use my professional experience with substance use disorder treatment to inform the funds’ use in our region, but to be someone who can go out into the community and be a champion for the good work these organizations are doing,” Joyner said in a release. “I get to see people turn their lives around, and I get to know the providers who are literally saving lives. That success story needs to be shared in Wilmington.”
Under settlement terms, opioid funds must be directed toward treatment, recovery, prevention and related public health strategies rather than traditional law enforcement or prosecution activities. Priorities include substance use disorder treatment, wraparound services for individuals and families, education and outreach, expanded access to care and harm-reduction services.
The committee is currently funding several local organizations for the current fiscal year, including The Healing Place, Coastal Horizons, LINC, Tides Inc. and MedNorth.
“There’s a saying in the recovery community that using leads to jails, institutions, and death,” Joyner said. “Working in the courts through referrals, I’ve seen the first-rate resources our community has, but I’ve also seen the gaps, which could have stopped someone from relapsing and spiraling.”
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