County looking for opinions on opioid settlement funds
With opioid-recovery related funds rolling in from multiple settlements and bankruptcy, Anderson County is looking for ideas on how to spend the money.
The county Opioid Task Force is meeting from 6:30 until 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 29) at the Clinton Community Center at 101 South Hicks St.
County Commissioner Shelly Vandagriff, who chairs the task force, said that people can voice their thoughts on how the county can spend the funds, which come with restrictions.
She and county law director Jay Yeager said the county must spend them on programs for abatement, education, rehabilitation or treatment.
“Our hope is to be able to use this to impact people’s lives,” Vandagriff said.
She talked about possibly using some of the money to help people recovering from opioid addiction to get help with work skills.
She said it could also fund recovery houses or even help schoolage children of people suffering from addiction, among other options. Nonprofits can receive the funds for related programs.
The county has about $650,000 in the fund Vandagriff said.
However, the County Commission at its Feb. 22 meeting approved funds from a national opioid settlement with Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Allergan, and Teva totaling $207,216.
The county also voted to approve a bankruptcy agreement with the company Endo, which will also go to the Opioid Task Force’s fund.
However, Yeager said he did not know the amount of money the county would get from the bankruptcy.
The document shared by Yeager also stated the city of Oak Ridge will receive $164,870 from the Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Allergan and Teva settlement.
It does not list any other entities within Anderson County as recipients other than the Anderson County and Oak Ridge governments.