Bay County Board of Commissioners Announces First Distribution of Opioid Settlement Funds

Bay County, MI - August 1, 2024 - The Bay County Board of Commissioners is excited to announce the first allocation of opioid settlement funds totaling $392,967.08 to be distributed to four local providers for opioid abatement, education, and treatment. These providers include Scared Heart Rehabilitation Center, Inc.; Families Against Narcotics (FAN); Peer 360 Recovery Alliance; and Recovery Pathways, LLC.

This allocation was made possible by a 26 billion dollar nationwide settlement that was reached to resolve all opioid litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors: McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. Other cases are still pending, and settlement money will be paid over the next 16-18 years.

Bay County has been allocated approximately six million dollars in settlement funds and has received approximately 1.7 million dollars in settlement funds. Based on feedback from a community-wide survey, the Bay County Opioid Steering Committee determined its focus would be on opioid abuse education, prevention and treatment

Bay County Commissioner Chairman Vaughn Begick stated, "Litigation was brought against pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies regarding the marketing and distribution of opioid medications and the resulting deaths and dependence that developed because of their use. There was a severe strain on local units of government because of overdoses and incarcerations."

Bay County Executive Jim Barcia commented, "The ravages of the opioid epidemic on our community spurred me as Bay County Executive to file one of the first federal lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies. This resulted in substantial settlement payouts to fund opioid remediation and treatment programs in Bay County. We are pleased that the first slate of awards are being distributed to local entities to help provide services to address this crisis."

Beginning with 2025 and each subsequent year going forward, remaining settlement money will be dispersed to further provide services and resources for opioid abatement, education, and treatment until all funds are depleted.

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