How should Oakland County spend its opioid settlement money? Officials asking for input

Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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In an effort to get public input on where and how to spend opioid settlement money, Oakland County officials are planning to host a series of listening sessions.

The sessions are open to people 18 years and older who live or work in Oakland County. Registration is recommended but not mandatory. To register: oakgov.com/health. You may also register by calling the county's Nurse on Call at 800-848-5533.

Oakland County is expected to receive $35 million over 20 years from settlements in lawsuits with opioid manufacturers and pharmacies.

Here's the schedule:

  • 11 a.m. - noon Sept. 12 at the Waterford Township Hall, 5200 Civic Center Drive, Waterford

  • 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at Affirmations, 290 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale

  • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Pontiac Public Library, 60 E. Pike St., Pontiac

  • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 18, at the Southfield Public Library, 26300 Evergreen Road, Southfield

  • 10-11 a.m. Sept. 19 at the Costick Activities Center, 28600 11 Mile Road, Farmington Hills

  • 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at the White Lake Public Library, 11005 Elizabeth Lake Road, White Lake Township

  • 11 a.m-1 p.m. Sept. 26 at Oakland University, 318 Meadow Brook Road, Rochester

Oakland County is expected to receive $35 million over 20 years from settlements in lawsuits with opioid manufacturers and pharmacies. The money is to be spent on treatment and prevention of opioid addiction and overdoses.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 109,000 people across the nation ― including nearly 3000 in Michigan ― died of drug overdoses in 2022. Most of those overdose deaths involved the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

In a statement, Oakland County said it had 180 drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, which represented a 119.5% increase in synthetic opioid-involved deaths from 2020.

Oakland County also said EMS administered 1,156 units of naloxone between June 2022 and June 2023.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Oakland County wants input on opioid settlement money