BEDFORD – John Keesler with Families Forever requested $88,290 from a share of the county’s opioid grant money Tuesday morning during the commissioners’ meeting.
Keesler presented a breakdown to the commissioners on spending that money.
He would like to use the money for youth mental health treatment and case management to help those achieve and maintain sobriety and to help battle truancy in grades K-2.
Attorney General Todd Rokita reported in July 2021 that Indiana was due to receive $507 million in compensation through a $26 billion settlement involving multiple states seeking damages from pharmaceutical companies Purdue Pharma, creator of the highly addictive OxyContin, and the company’s owners, the Sackler family.
The litigation also seeks damages from major distributors Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen. These companies are each credited with the distribution of large quantities of opioid painkillers, which have been linked with addiction and overdose deaths. Johnson & Johnson is also implicated as a manufacturer and marketer.
The terms of the original litigation stipulated local communities, including Lawrence County, would receive only 15% of the $507 million settlement. The state was due to acquire another 15%, with the remaining 70 % balance heading to the Indiana Family Social Services Administration.Â
However, Commissioner Rodney Fish said rumors are flying that the county will receive a landfall of funds, which is untrue.
“I just want to clarify that a lot of numbers are floating around on the amount the county will receive,” said Fish. “It’s not like the large sum of money many expect.”
He stated as of right now, the county does not have the mechanisms in place to make or approve claims.
“We need to decide how we will establish applications,” he added.
