The Boulder County District Attorney’s Office has hired a person to offer harm reduction services to those impacted by drug use, according to Shannon Carbone, a spokeswoman for the office.

The new harm reduction diversion coordinator job will be covered by $215,000 for 2025 and 2026 from a Boulder County opioid settlement grant, according to Carbone.

The person will work in the Center for Prevention and Restorative Justice and will do education programs and case and resource management programs. The person also will distribute harm reduction supplies to people who use drugs, have substance-related offenses, are bystanders of drug use or who are at risk of drug use.

The grant is aimed at “reducing opioid use and the harms caused to the community by the dishonest and unethical marketing of prescription opioid painkillers,” according to a Boulder County webpage.

In addition to the person’s salary for two years, the money will go for training, software, office equipment and harm reduction supplies, Carbone said in a press release.

“Our office sought this funding in order to continue our efforts combat the opioid and fentanyl crisis,” Carbone said.

The district attorney’s office also will continue to hold dealers responsible, District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the release.

“As our country grapples with the opioid and fentanyl crisis, our office will continue to hold dealers fully responsible for preying on addiction, work closely with law enforcement to investigate drug-related offenses, and connect people with treatment when appropriate,” Dougherty said.

In all, Boulder County government representatives expect to receive $30 million in opioid settlement dollars from 2022 to 2038 to address the harms caused by prescription painkillers, according to online county materials.

Representatives in Colorado and across the country sued manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies across the country for the opioid painkiller epidemic, receiving settlements of more than $26 billion.

Of the total, the Colorado Attorney General’s secured $7.4 billion from Purdue Pharma and company owners, the Sackler family.