Oregon public health officials are mapping out plans for spending $41 million in opioid settlement funding that will go toward preventing addiction, expanding treatment programs and adding recovery community centers.
Earlier this year, the Opioid Settlement, Prevention, Treatment & Recovery Board approved the funding for projects in those areas. Now, the Oregon Health Authority is working with contract recipients on their plans and timelines. The money will fund mobile response teams, pay for buildings and rent so support groups can gather in recovery centers and cover the costs of programs that educate and promote awareness among youth and children about the dangers of illicit drugs.
The funding represents just a portion of the nearly $600 million Oregon will receive during the next 18 years as part of a settlement in a national lawsuit that states filed against opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies.
For years, the opioid crisis left people nationwide addicted to painkillers. After years of litigation, states, including Oregon, are now receiving hundreds of millions of settlement dollars to address the crisis.