New Lexington commission to decide how city will spend funds in fight against opioid crisis

Mayor Linda Gorton announced Wednesday the creation of the Opioid Abatement Commission that will be responsible for suggesting to administration and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council how to allocate the National Opioid Litigation settlement funds.

A joint lawsuit with additional cities and states resulted in an agreement that granted crucial resources to fight the opioid epidemic, Gorton said.

“This is a very big deal,” Gorton said. “These funds will come to Lexington from drug companies that helped fuel the epidemic.”

The entirety of the funds are expected to be dispersed over the next 20 years due to the ongoing litigation. Some defendants have settled and others declared bankruptcy.

Gorton said Lexington has been battling the opioid epidemic for several years with overdose deaths continuing to rise. She said it is believed to be the result of significant setbacks from the pandemic and isolation, as well as the introduction of the deadly drug fentanyl.

Since 2018, Lexington has succeeded in winning two federal grants totaling $4 million that has been used for purchasing and distributing the lifesaving drug NARCAN. With the assistance of the health department and first responders, 34,000 doses have been distributed in the last five years.

Gorton announced Dr. Stephanie Raglin, a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor and certified clinical supervisor, to be the chair of commission. She has more than 22 years of experience in the substance abuse field and recently earned her doctorate in ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary.

“We’ve come a long way, but we have such a long way to go,” Raglin said. “But with the help of God and all of us, the hope is that we take back our loved ones, that we take back our communities and bring a sense of healing to all.”

Alongside Raglin, the commission consists of:

• Vice Chair Tara Stanfield

• Executive Director Bryan Hubbard

• Marc Woods

• John Q. Moses III

• Ciera Bowman

• Laurie Brock

• Connie Neal

• Margaret Pisacano

• Matt Webster

• Dale Sanders

• Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers

• Commonwealth’s Attorney Kimberly Baird

• Fayette County Attorney Angela Evans