MOUNT VERNON — Local community partners met on Nov. 29 for an update on how Ohio will manage the money it will receive after winning a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical industry.

Ohio was one of the states that sued several pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid epidemic. The companies settled the lawsuit in 2021.

Ohio expects to get about $2 billion over the next 18 years. The OneOhio Recovery Foundation will disburse 55 percent ($1.1 billion) of the settlement.

The remaining 45 percent goes directly to counties and local governments.

Knox County has received $149,051.28 thus far. The county commissioners allocated $50,000 to Knox County Job & Family Services to help cover costs for the children the agency took into custody during the epidemic.

The fund’s current balance is $99,051.28.

“We’ll get more money coming in from this settlement. One of the things I think we need to do is think long term,” Knox County Commissioner Teresa Bemiller said. “The plan is to hold this money and use it to do more research. I want it dedicated to this group.”

Potential uses for the settlement money

Group members previously brainstormed potential programs and solutions to counteract problems stemming from opioid use.

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When a group subcommittee reviewed a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), it realized many options were school-related.

Bemiller said the group’s consensus is to use the funding for prevention efforts. However, school officials said, “prevention is good, but intervention is critical.”

“They are at the point where the needs of the youths are extremely high,” subcommittee member Tina Cockrell of Knox Public Health said.

Another piece of the information pie is an Opportunity Inventory of drug-related programs and services. Members of Region 18’s expert panel, which includes Amy Smart of Riverside Recovery Services, created the inventory.

The inventory places each county’s services into one of three categories:

•Minor: Programs/services are in place, and/or adequate resources are being invested already.

•Moderate: There are some gaps in programs/services; additional investments in this area could improve outcomes.

•Major: There are significant gaps in programs/services, and additional resources should be invested in this area.

The inventory shows that all areas in the prevention, early intervention, and treatment categories scored minor or moderate.

Areas that showed major gaps include:

•Promotion: prescriber education

•Harm reduction: needle/syringe exchange

•Recovery: permanent housing, child care, transportation

•Other: first responder support

Ahead of the game

In the coming weeks, the group will refine which programs it will submit for funding.

Each county submits its requests to the OneOhio grant portal. OneOhio staff will review and score the applications. The region board will then decide which projects to fund.

Lisa Loyd of the Knox County Foundation serves as Knox County’s representative on the Region 18 grant panel.

“We are quite a way off from being able to apply for state funding,” she said. “But our county and region seem to be ahead of where other counties and regions are.”

Riverside Recovery’s Amy Smart, who serves on Region 18’s expert panel, agrees.

“Knox County is a lot more prepared,” she said.

Thus far, the foundation has only released $1 million in funds. That money was used to hire Executive Director Alisha Nelson and buy software.

Bemiller is optimistic that things will start to move now that the foundation hired Nelson.

She said Knox and the other Region 18 counties have made it clear to the state that it should not hold the funds in perpetuity but hand them down to the counties.

“We just want to keep it moving forward,” she said. “We’re ahead in being prepared. We will continue to lobby to the state to make sure that the money is flowing down to the counties.”

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