LAWRENCE CO. — During a recent meeting, Lawrence County Attorney David Smith informed the commissioners that he needed their approval to claim funds from the Purdue Pharma and Sandoz opioid settlements.
Lawrence County is set to receive $52,581.63 from the Sandoz settlement. These funds are “restricted,” meaning the county must use them for specific, approved opioid remediation activities as outlined in the settlement agreements.
The amount the county will receive from the Purdue Pharma settlement has not yet been released, but those funds will be 80% restricted and 20% unrestricted. According to Commissioner President Rodney Fish, once the funds are received, the commissioners will review all funding requests received.
“We will review each request and make awards in a reasonable time,” Fish added.
The opioid crisis has hit Indiana particularly hard, with prescribing rates peaking in 2012 when there were, on average, 112 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents. From 2012 to 2016, 58 Indiana counties had opioid prescribing rates exceeding 100 prescriptions per 100 residents. The Attorney General’s office, which has already secured more than $1 billion for Hoosiers in opioid settlements, continues its efforts to hold manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies accountable.
