Maine's Attorney General is teaming up with the Catherine Cutler Institute at the Muskie School to help municipalities and counties use opioid settlement funds to respond to the opioid crisis.

Attorney General Aaron Frey said the Institute will create a Substance Use Research and Evaluation (SURE) Resource Center to help Maine’s communities identify local needs and employ evidence-based strategies.

"There's an opportunity there for collaboration that will be better fostered through the Center, because you will have a forum where programming and support is being offered, but through the work the Center is doing it can pull in partners," Frey said.

Dr. Mary Lindsey Smith is the Director of Substance Use Research and Evaluation at the Institute. She said the Resource Center's goals include helping communities create spending plans based on community needs and evidence based strategies, and facilitating local and statewide collaboration

"Helping them facilitate multi-sector collaborations to really address this issue, and aligning strategies with what best meets their community needs. We have found this to be a strategy that is sustainable and really drives change in communities," Smith said.

Smith said the Resource Center will become a centralized touchpoint where resources are shared statewide as needs change over time.

Frey said he wants communities to use settlement funds they receive for proven strategies.

"We want to make sure that evidence-based programming is available. We don't want the cost to be a barrier to the community. We hope the support is of value," Frey said.

The partnership, funded by a two and a half million dollars in opioid settlement funds, will last for five years.

It's estimated that Maine municipalities and counties will share 66 million dollars in opioid settlement funds over the next 18 years.