Millions of dollars from a national class action lawsuit involving companies that played a role in the country's opioid epidemic could be coming to Washtenaw County.
The companies Teva, Allergan, CVS, and Walmart are paying billions of dollars for the mass distribution and promotion of opioids. The money is intended to be distributed to states and local governments to address the crisis that those drugs created.
According to the county health department, more than 700 people died in Washtenaw County from opioid-related overdoses since 2011.
The county's Board of Commissioners voted to participate in the distribution of the funds, which could end up being as much as $4.7 million.
The county's Sheriff's Office, Office of Community and Economic Development, Community Mental Health, and the health department are expected to be the primary recipients of the settlement money.
Non-commercial, fact based reporting is made possible by your financial support. Make your donation to WEMU today to keep your community NPR station thriving.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
