Philly accused of misusing opioid drugs for beautification efforts – NBC10 Philadelphia

Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood has recently undergone some cosmetic improvements, including cleaned-up parks, newly planted trees, remodeled playgrounds and schools with new fences. Some homes in the area even received minor repairs, such as new roofs. These projects were funded through opioid settlement money received by the city.

The city donated $7.5 million to several nonprofit organizations to support Kensington residents in a variety of ways. On Thursday, October 3, a state executive said some of the money should not have been used in this way.

“It’s not always like that,” said Tumar Alexander, a member of the Opioid Trust board appointed by Mayor Cherelle Parker. “This is not a coincidence. This is something the drug companies knew they were doing and it has devastated this community and I believe this proposal attempts to turn the tide.”

The Pennsylvania Opioid Abuse and Addiction Abatement Trust is made up of 13 people, most of whom are elected officials. They are appointed by various state and local politicians. Her duties include overseeing the more than $1 billion that flows to the commonwealth through opioid settlement funding. Philadelphia alone is expected to receive $200 million.

The money was allocated for various programs. The permitted uses listed in what is known as Schedule E include treating and preventing opioid use disorder, helping people get treated and recovered, and connecting people with help.

In June, the board ruled that a $7.5 million prevention initiative called the Kensington Resident Support Program was inconsistent with the intended use of the money.

The city appealed and on Thursday the arbitration board issued a split decision. In the end, they rejected the city's appeal for two of the subprograms, which included helping residents with home repairs or supporting small businesses, among other things. These funds totaled $3 million.

“There is a connection between the neighborhood effects, but I have difficulty interpreting the settlement funds as a community development program or an anti-poverty program,” said Robert Postal, one of the board members.

The city had several speakers at the argument session, including Keli McLoyd, director of the Opioid Response Unit, and Dr. Gina South, a Penn physician who studies environmental effects on substance use disorders.

The city argued that the entire initiative should be funded and considered a permitted use under Schedule E. She presented evidence related to social determinants of health, arguing that all residents in Kensington, particularly children, are at higher risk of opioid use disorder because of the environment they are around every day.

Data shows Upper Kensington ranks last for health outcomes in the city.

Panel Chairman Tom VanKirk challenged the city to cut short its presentation to question how it falls under the opioid abuse prevention section.

“The exhibit is permissive,” said Ryan Smith, a representative of the city’s law department. “And if that — preventing fatal overdoses — isn’t allowed in the exhibit, I honestly don’t know what we’re doing. This is the end result here. With this funding we save lives.”

One in four people who died of an overdose in Pennsylvania last year died in Philadelphia, new data released this week shows.