By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Carter County is set to get their share of opioid litigation money from a class action suit against “Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Participants” – around $1.4 million. They adopted a resolution in special session last week accepting the terms of the lawsuit and claiming their share. But they are limited in what they can do with those funds. The funds a must be used for one of a series of “approved purposes” identified as “opioid abatement strategies.”
The attachment described as “Exhibit A” listing the full scope of approved purposes was not attached to the Memorandum of Understanding as provided to fiscal court, however. It was not readily available online, either.
However, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has explained in various press statements that the funds could be used for substance-abuse treatment, prevention, and other programs related to opioid abuse.
The county’s next step is to figure out how they would like to spend their share of funds, and if they want to partner with other local communities to pool those funds for greater impact. Pooling funds was one of the recommendations put forward by Ronald Johnson, a representative of the body overseeing the opioid settlement, during a teleconference with fiscal court. Johnson explained that certain funds earmarked for local government will be made available only if the county can partner with their cities or other communities. If they do not partner, those extra funds will be distributed to other communities who have partnered, and the county and cities will receive only the funds already allocated to them.
Carter County Attorney Brian Bayes said the county’s share of funds had already increased for just over $800,000 to a little more than $1.4 million between the last two allocation rounds.
Mike Malone noted that first responders – including the police departments in each city, the county sheriff’s department, emergency ambulance service, fire department, and the health department – had all been “run ragged” by overdoses and other drug related incidents. However, the money can’t be used to directly reimburse them for their past costs, because of the requirement related to opioid abatement.
District 4 Magistrate Donnie Oppenheimer said he would like to see the funds used for drug enforcement programs. He expressed skepticism that drug treatment and education were sufficient alone, and suggested using funds to help law enforcement “get drugs off the street.”
Judge Executive Mike Malone, however, was not so quick to dismiss the impact of treatment and prevention education.
“You’ll never get it all off the street,” Malone said.
He said prevention and treatment could be successful, but required strict adherence to a program. It also often required cutting all ties with your former associates, something that can be difficult in a small and close-knit community.
Malone then shared an anecdote of an unnamed friend who moved to Grayson many years ago to escape his own addiction. This person, in need of a place to start over where his friends wouldn’t tempt him back into a lifestyle of drug use, came to Carter County after randomly sticking a pin in a map. Since moving here, Malone said, this person has married, raised a family, and been a successful and productive member of the community.
So, while recovery isn’t impossible, he said, it may require some difficult choices.
No matter what they end up doing with the funds, however, they all agree it won’t be enough to make up for everything that Carter County’s families have lost to the opioid epidemic.
In other action the court returned from executive session, to discuss employment and pending litigation, and made a motion to employ an individual in the road department, with his previous vacation time from another county position carrying over.
Malone also gave an update on the doughboy statue. The county was given a quote to repair the damage from the broken ankles that wasn’t any higher than the preservation quote they had previously received. Malone said the county has inquired about payment options and will pursue private donations as well as use available county funds to pay for the repairs to the statue.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
