According to recent research conducted by students and community members, overdose rates in New York have gradually increased despite a 70 percent jump in funding marked for changing the trajectory of the opioid crisis.

Written by a dedicated team at Truth Pharm, the independent report, “Community Solutions, State Exclusions: The Misalignment of New York’s Opioid Settlement Funds,” revealed that New York’s distribution of opioid settlement funds is more or less reinforcing the “status quo” by favoring larger institutions over smaller, community-led agencies proven to deliver effective outcomes.

“This isn’t abstract,” said Alexis Pleus, the founder and executive director of Truth Pharm, in a press release. “It’s people. Every time funds bypass grassroots and lived-experience organizations, the state is choosing bureaucracy over reach, and comfort over impact. Families have risen up through their grief to build resources, because they had to. It’s long past time to support them. I have faith State leaders will recognize the value of this report to inform a corrective path forward.”

Pleus shared with Pipe Dream that two Binghamton University students were integral to the project, completing work that is “far beyond typical internship level.” The report, which they both helped co-author, has now received national attention, with several legislators expressing interest in sponsoring legislation to change how funds are distributed.

“We, as a tiny grassroots organization, could not have pulled this off without their help,” Pleus wrote in an email to Pipe Dream. “Working alongside them was no different than working alongside a team of professional colleagues. You would not know they were students based on the quality of their work. Binghamton University should be really proud to know what incredible representatives [Macina Johnson] and [Ella Dailey] were.”

Macina Johnson ‘25, a Vestal native and first-year graduate student studying business administration, is an administrative intern with Truth Pharm. Before becoming an intern, she worked with Truth Pharm during the COVID-19 pandemic to help deliver care packages in the community.

Ella Dailey, a senior double majoring in history and philosophy, politics and law, is an advocacy intern at Truth Pharm and told Pipe Dream her desire to work in the public interest sector of law has been reinforced thanks to her time at Truth Pharm. After completing her time at BU, she will be attending Syracuse University College of Law.

Dailey described how Pleus got her involved in the research that turned into the report. She noted how tedious it was to compile publicly available data from various sources, including government websites, in part due to incomplete information on how funding is being spent and the lack of clarity around whether the spending is in line with the goals of the settlement. Despite the challenges, Dailey expressed appreciation for the work she did.

“My whole experience with the report was something I had never done before,” wrote Dailey. “It was a great learning experience. My favorite part of this report was working with the team, Chelsea Pickett, Maci Johnson, and Alexis Pleus. They taught me so much from academic writing to the brokenness of our systems.”

“I also really appreciated the trust they gave me to do the research and write parts of the report, despite me being the least experienced and qualified,” she continued. “My research for the report uncovered disheartening transparency issues within our state government agencies that have imbued me with the motivation to hold those agencies accountable.”

Like Dailey, Johnson was approached by Pleus to take part in the research project. Involved in various programs at Truth Pharm, Johnson’s primary role for this project, along with co-authoring the report, focused on the analysis and visualization of the data. Such data analytic skills were a pleasant surprise to Pleus, who was eager to publish a report on their important findings.

“Doing this research and analysis revealed some incredibly shocking information about how Opioid Settlement funds are being spent in New York State,” wrote Johnson. “Community based and grassroots organizations are the closest to those directly impacted by the opioid epidemic, yet they only received 3.5% of the total funding.”

According to the report, larger institutions that maintain an annual budget above $50 million, known as “economic engines,” received $695,820 on average per award, 10 times more than the average award received by grassroots organizations, which maintain an annual budget below $1 million and received $68,736 on average per award.

Many possibilities for this disparity in distribution were outlined in the report, including unequal budget caps for organizations applying for funding, lack of follow-through on past recommendations and challenges with fair representation on the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board.

Johnson and Dailey elaborated on why this work is important to them and what keeps them motivated. Dailey highlighted the “truly inspiring” drive of Truth Pharm’s staff and their efforts toward harm reduction. Johnson reflected on how her education at BU, in particular, influenced her involvement in the project and her optimism about the real-world impacts that will stem from this work.

“What I find most fun about this project is taking a lot of what I’ve learned from school and being able to apply my skills towards something impactful,” wrote Johnson. “Proper Opioid Settlement funding will save lives, and I’m proud to be a part of a team pursuing that. Additionally, I’m really looking forward to the systemic changes that will come from this report. Our amazing team has been working with lawmakers to push for amendments that ensure proper spending of these funds.”

Since losing her oldest son in 2014 to a heroin overdose, Pleus has been committed to this work for more than a decade. Regarding the recent report, Pleus gave additional credit to team lead and co-author Chelsea Pickett, a Ph.D. student at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, and wanted to share with others her enthusiasm for working with students.

“I hope that local businesses and especially nonprofits recognize the incredible treasure we have here in Binghamton by way of Binghamton University students,” Pleus wrote. “They are an incredible resource. We’ve had many volunteers for our organization, we’ve been the recipient of student led grants and work projects and one of the ways we keep our budget in line with our resources, is we have interns participating in our work year round. We’ve had more good experiences than I can count.”

Both Dailey and Johnson had advice to share for students looking to get involved and make a difference.

Dailey, who first connected with Truth Pharm through the University’s Leaders in Engagement, Advocacy and Democracy program through the Center for Civic Engagement, said she has kept her internship while gaining credits toward graduation by enrolling in the University’s credit-bearing internship program. She highlighted the importance of exploring the numerous existing on-campus programs that can help students’ personal and professional growth.

“For others interested in getting involved, my biggest advice is to start local,” wrote Johnson. “Look at your community and identify where there are gaps or unmet needs. Meaningful change often begins at the grassroots level, and there is always more room for voices or hands in this work.”
Pleus, who will be speaking at a National Conference on Opioid Settlement Funds in June as a result of the findings, shared her gratitude for Johnson and Dailey as well as further appreciation for others who have helped along the way.

“I want to say how much I appreciate the two of them as well as the other Binghamton University students who have volunteered for or interned with us — for truly showing great care for our community and our issue,” wrote Pleus. “They all give me hope for the future.”