By Olena Nicks
Since 2019, Nassau County has had an Opioid Crisis Action Plan at its disposal. Yet it has sat on a bookshelf, collecting dust as the opioid crisis rages onward and over $90 million remains stagnant in county coffers. It’s time to dramatically change that trajectory.
A multidisciplinary task force was co-chaired by County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and former Legislator Siela Bynoe, who now serves in the State Senate. The task force included a team of medical professionals, public health experts, educators and recovery advocates. They created a plan for addressing needs in education, prevention and treatment of opioid use, and devising law enforcement and legislative solutions to reduce illegal opioid distribution and use.
Nassau County has over $100 million in proceeds from various settlements with opioid manufacturers, retailers and distributors. To date, County Executive Bruce Blakeman has gotten just 8.5 percent of those funds to agencies that provide prevention, treatment and recovery resources — this despite the fact that the county launched a portal last spring to help distribute the funds, and has retained Hagerty Consulting Inc to kick-start the delivery of funds.
Last February, the Legislature approved additional funding for Hagerty, the agency responsible for disseminating these funds, with the understanding that the firm is responsible for ensuring the timely and effective movement of the Opioid Litigation Settlement Fund dollars. However, as of Feb. 3, over $91.5 million remains unexpended. Money sitting idle does not serve the individuals, families and communities who are grappling with substance use disorder and its devastating consequences.
Consistent with its contract with Hagerty, the Legislature was advised that a detailed report on the status and deployment of these funds would be provided in June and December 2025. While a report was transmitted on June 30 and Dec 31, the information was limited in scope, and did not offer the transparency or detail necessary for effective legislative oversight or accountability — particularly given the scale, urgency and human impact of this crisis.
I am particularly concerned by delays in the delivery of funding to the Mary Brennan INN, one of the many organizations on the front lines of the crisis. Its outstanding work could be greatly enhanced by county funding, and I applaud its ongoing commitment to providing meaningful, lifesaving assistance to our community.
As a volunteer firefighter, I am acutely aware that first responders like me are often the first people on the scene of an overdose. In that moment, our sole objective is to save lives — and those opioid funds aren’t doing anybody any good if they’re just sitting in the bank. They’re worth more than their weight in gold if we invest them in tools we can use to respond to these emergencies, or prevent them from happening in the first place.
That’s why, on Jan. 30, I wrote to Blakeman to formally request a comprehensive follow-up on the county’s administration of the settlement fund. Such a report must detail the activity of the fund since 2022, including amounts paid out to each organization, the amount of money that has been expended, the amount currently promised to agencies — including specific purposes and timelines — and the amount that remains unallocated.
The public also must have access to a detailed explanation of the role of and actions taken by Hagerty Consulting, the steps being taken to notify eligible agencies and service providers that the funding exists and is available, and a clear timeline for future disbursements and anticipated programmatic outcomes.
Our response to the opioid crisis demands diligence, urgency and transparency. As legislators, we have a responsibility to ensure that these funds are not only accounted for, but actively deployed in a way that maximizes their intended public benefit. Our residents, service providers and community partners deserve clarity and action, not delay.
If you or someone you know is aware of a qualified agency that is well positioned to apply for a grant through the opioid portal, please share this link — https://app.nassaucountyny.gov/ce/opioid — with them so they can apply. Should they require any help doing so, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (516) 571-6205 or onicks@nassaucountyny.gov.
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, represents Nassau County’s 5th Legislative District
