10/7/2022 5:47:00 AM Stein Talks About Opioid Settlement what it will mean for Lincoln County in battling the epidemic
Wayne Howard Reporter
Lincoln County will get almost $6 million from the Opioid Settlement, a $26 billion agreement with the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors – Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – and Johnson & Johnson. North Carolina’s local governments have been sent the first and second payments from the settlement. For Lincoln County, the first year funding will be almost $3 million. The rest of the County's share of the settlement funds will be released by the state over the next several years. These funds will go toward addressing the opioid epidemic in communities across North Carolina. In addition to the $26 billion deal, Attorney General Josh Stein also reached three agreements of principle with other drug makers that total more than $7 billion.
Stein was on hand for a meeting of the Lincoln County Drug Prevention and Recovery Coalition Thursday afternoon (Oct. 6th) at the Lincoln County Health Dept. Members of that group and local officials including Lincoln County Commissioners Anita McCall and Cathy Davis, Lincolnton Mayor Ed Hatley, Superior Court Judge Todd Pomeroy, District Court Judge Micah Sanderson, , Lincoln County Health Director Lena Jones, Substance Use Prevention Coordinator Vanessa Palmer, and EMS Manager Kim Campbell heard Stein's presentation and discussed possible uses for the money in opioid abuse reduction programs in Lincoln County.
Campbell talked about one program the EMS is initiating--talking with overdose survivors after an overdose incident to try to get them involved in a rehabilitation program.
It will be up to County Commissioners to allocate Lincoln County's share of the Opioid Settlement funds.
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