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The San Antonio City Council has approved using opioid settlement money to expand access to overdose reversal drugs and prevention programs.
Approximately $1.2 million will go to seven San Antonio nonprofits over the next five years. The money comes from the 2021 National Opioid Settlement, which is expected to send about $6.1 million to San Antonio through 2041. City officials say about half of that total has already been received.
For 2026, the city will distribute $379,000, with the option to renew funding for up to four more years.
This first round of funding will go to BEAT AIDS, Bexar Area Harm Reduction Coalition, Corazon Ministries Inc., Rise Recovery, St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and Yanawana Herbolarios.
Each organization will have its own contract with the city to distribute Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal drug, through community programs.
District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, who helped introduce a resolution in 2023 declaring opioids a public health crisis, said the city’s response has been informed by local needs and best practices.
“We have a lot of work to do to get our people healthy, and this distribution is a big step in the right direction,” she said. “I look forward to how we continue to not just treat opioid and substance abuse addiction in a silo, but see how interconnected it is in our society and as well as how it intersects with the diversion program.”
The funds will also support initiatives such as HIV testing and infectious disease management.
