New Lenawee County community development coordinator hits the ground running

ADRIAN — Lenawee County has a new community development coordinator, and she is already hard at work on setting goals and developing partnerships surrounding the spending of opioid settlement monies.

Francine Zysk already has a 26-year career in county government under her belt, working as a chief probation officer, court administrator, non-attorney magistrate and leading a community mental health team. She began Livingston County’s opiate program in 2010, which delivered prevention and education outreach in jails, schools and communities.

Zysk's start date was May 1.

“I am excited and humbled to have been chosen as the community development coordinator for Lenawee County. I am community-minded and appreciate the value of county government,” Zysk said. “I am thrilled to facilitate my experience in county government, working with an incredible team to serve the community to develop needs that will best serve Lenawee County.”

The position is new for the county. It was created with the goals of having the chosen candidate:

• Work closely with the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority and related agencies on mental health needs and concerns in the county and how they can be improved using the opioid funds that the county is receiving from the national lawsuit settlement.  

• Assist in creating a more robust and diverse Land Bank Authority.

• Coordinate and collaborate with the county’s housing agencies, seeking new housing opportunities that do not currently exist.

“This role is extremely important for Lenawee County. After meeting with our stakeholders, partners, and other leaders in the community over the last year, this position was one I identified that we needed to create within county government. We are uniquely positioned to access specific funding sources to address our community needs, as well as to bring everyone to the table to address some large identified problems, including the opioid epidemic and housing,” county administrator Kim Murphy said.

“Lenawee County will be receiving disbursements related to the Opioid Settlement and those funds are restricted to very specific parameters. Ms. Zysk has already hit the ground running within her first few days in the office and has a plan on how we can identify our community needs, assemble a gold star team and establish goals. We are very excited to have her on board,” Murphy said.

In 2021, after six years of litigation, nationwide settlements were reached to resolve all opioids litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors — McKesson, Cardinal  Health and AmerisourceBergen — as well as against manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company, Johnson & Johnson.

These settlements have been finalized, and payments have begun. In all, the distributors will pay up to $21 billion  over 18 years, and J&J will pay up to an additional $5 billion over no more than nine years. 

Lenawee County joined the class action lawsuit and has thus far received more than $500,000.

In late 2022, agreements were announced with three pharmacy chains — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart — as well as two manufacturers — Allergan and Teva.

Lenawee County has entered into the 2022 participation agreements in partial settlement of the national prescription opiate litigation.

Under both the 2021 and 2022 national settlements, at least 85% of the funds going directly to  participating states and subdivisions must be used for abatement of the opioid epidemic.

Each participating local government in Michigan is projected to receive $1,570,858.10 as part of the Michigan state subdivision agreement (50% share to local governments) or $591,288.93 as part of the settlement default (15% share to local governments) over the lifecycle of payments.

Lenawee County has entered into the Michigan state subdivision agreement to receive its 50% share.

Zysk has already teamed up with partners at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Michigan Association of Counties, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University to create a technical community needs assessment.

She has also assembled a team of stakeholders including Lenawee County medical examiner Dr. Bader Cassin to create vision and mission statements as well as address the opioid epidemic impact on the community, reduce overdose death, create sustainable care for those with substance misuse disorders and improve quality of life for those affected.

“My first task has been the lead for the opioid settlement funds in creating the Lenawee Opioid Action Plan. We are building the community needs assessment with assistance from many entities for voices encompassing the entire Lenawee County community with transparency for everyone,” Zysk said. “I am very excited to facilitate with many community partners to identify the needs of Lenawee County that will provide everyone's voices, data, research, experience, and input for the sustainability of reducing overdoses and deaths within the Lenawee County community.”

Cassin reported that in 2022 there were 28 drug-related deaths in Lenawee County caused exclusively or in part by an injected or ingested substance. The deaths follow a national trend in recent years. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid many times more powerful than morphine, was included in the majority of the drug-related deaths or was combined with heroin or other abused substances. Cassin expressed a need to focus on ways to address these drugs in the community.

Zysk holds a master’s degree in management, strategy and leadership from Michigan State University and is an adjunct instructor at Jackson College, teaching in its corrections education program.

She is currently pursuing her doctorate in human services and social change at the Minneapolis-based Walden University.

“Ms. Zysk has a very impressive background, with extensive experience in collaborative program building across non-profit agencies, government entities and other community groups. She is currently earning a Ph.D. in social change and is passionate about our community and making it a better Lenawee for all our residents,” Deputy county administrator Shannon Elliott said. “I am thrilled that she has joined our team and am looking forward to all things that she will accomplish in the future.”

Zysk’s starting salary is $76,951.88 a year.

“I'm constantly researching not only school-related studies, but also how to make a positive impact in communities and within my individual life,” Zysk said. “I pursue new experiences to deepen my appreciation and hold gratitude for new opportunities. I am an avid learner and am grateful for the opportunities I have been given.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Francine Zysk is new Lenawee County community development coordinator