Counties to receive funding from national opioid settlement
All counties in Pennsylvania are expected to receive funding as a result of a national opioid settlement agreement.
In January, it was announced that all 67 counties, plus 241 local governments with a population of 10,000 or more, had signed on for the settlement against drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, and three major pharmaceutical distributors – AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Cardinal Health, for their role in the ongoing national opioid epidemic.
More: States detail $26B settlement to resolve opioid lawsuits with Johnson & Johnson, drug distributors
In April, it was announced that Pennsylvania is slated to receive a maximum of $1.07 billion from the $26 billion agreement.
The amount given to the counties and local communities, as well as the specific uses for the settlement funding, will be determined in the future.
As far as Pennsylvania’s total allocation, 70% will be given to the counties based on a combined metric of overdose deaths, opioid disorder hospitalizations, Naloxone administrations, and percentage of opioid shipments.
A total of 15% will be given to litigating counties, subdivisions, district attorneys, and special districts, while 15% will be given to the Commonwealth as a whole to be appropriated by the legislature.
Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier said there will be specific guidelines on how the counties and local communities will be allowed to spend the settlement dollars, such as for new or continuing programming for drug treatment.
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He said he expects Beaver County to receive over $7 million from this settlement, and said the county could use the funding to expand drug treatment and mental health programs, and get more detox beds and mental health beds, for example.
However, Lozier said he is upset because early indication states the settlement funding would not be allowed to be used to reimburse or invest in law enforcement.
He said law enforcement over the course of the opioid epidemic has spent a lot of time and resources.
Lozier and Chief County Det. Andrew Gall said they support the current drug programs, but feels like law enforcement is being left out, as they would like to expand law enforcement in the county to better combat drugs and opioids.
Lawrence County Commissioner Loretta Spielvogel said county leaders are currently meeting with a variety of agencies and county departments to determine the best use of the settlement funding, once it arrives.
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Beaver County 'flattenscurve' on opioid deaths
Lozier said for almost every county in Pennsylvania, there has been an increase in opioid overdoses and deaths, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said Beaver County has been one of the few counties where overdose deaths have remained “flat” over the last couple years.
More: Overdose numbers showing trends improving in Beaver County, fentanyl still leading to deaths
There were 61 overdose deaths in the county in 2019, 64 in 2020, and 62 in 2021, with there being around 700 overdoses a year in the county.
Lozier said he contributes these numbers to all of the necessary steps taken by law enforcement and other emergency personnel, such as more Narcan, better mental health/treatment response, and investigating overdose deaths criminally when applicable.
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On Thursday, Beaver County Commissioners agreed to allow Lozier to join the lawsuit/settlement with PA v. Sackler, which is against the Sackler family of the former pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma.
More: Sackler family to give $6 billion more in opioid crisis settlement between Purdue Pharma, US states
The company settled on a $8.3 billion settlement in 2020, for their role in the opioid epidemic, after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019.
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Nicholas Vercilla is a staff reporter for the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at nvercilla@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Counties to receive funding from national opioid settlement
