Opioid settlement task force formed

Heather Mullinix, Crossville Chronicle, Tenn.
·2 min read

Jun. 29—Cumberland County is set to receive about $300,000 from the state's opioid abatement fund. A new task force created by the Cumberland County Commission is charged with developing a plan for those funds.

The Tennessee Opioid Abatement fund is made up of payments from drug makers and distributors through the settlement of various lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic. The first payments from these settlements were made in February and totaled more than $31 million.

"There isn't a county in Tennessee that hasn't been touched by the opioid crisis. The funding going to these counties will have an immediate and much-needed impact. We are excited to get this funding out to all 95 counties of our great state, and we can't wait to see how local leaders put it to good use," said Stephen Loyd, MD, Opioid Abatement Council chairman.

These direct payments represent 35% of the state's portion of a $26 billion settlement with Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, and three pharmaceutical distributors: AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp.

Communities must use the money for activities approved by the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council, with options such as recovery supports, prevention measures, medication assisted treatment, and a continuum of opioid use disorder treatment programs.

The Cumberland County task force will include Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, Crossville Mayor R.J. Crawford, Sheriff Casey Cox (or designee), Crosssville Police Chief Jessie Brooks (or designee), 6th District Commissioner Joe Sherrill, District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway (or designee), Cumberland County General Sessions Judge Amanda Worley (or designee), Director of Schools William Stepp, Cumberland Medical Center Chief Administrative Officer Randy Davis (or designee) and Cumberland County Health Department Director Angela Slaven.

The remaining 65% of the state opioid abatement fund will be distributed through a competitive grant process. The process for applying for grants has not yet been finalized. Payments from settlements are expected to continue for 18 years, though subsequent payments will not be as large as the initial payments.

"While no amount of money will be enough to completely heal broken communities, funds distributed through the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund will provide further resources toward recovery and assist in bringing this epidemic to a halt. The Tennessee Attorney General's Office will not let up on holding opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable," said Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.

Other groups in the community have begun discussions on how funds could be used locally through the Trauma Informed Community Alliance, bringing together representatives from law enforcements, treatment, public health, behavioral health, schools, public agencies and other interested parties for a series of working sessions earlier this year. The groups are currently collecting data for potential grant proposals once those details are finalized.

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.