The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners appointed the Opioid Steering Committee at Wednesday’s meeting. The group will make recommendations on how best to spend the settlement money the county receives from national litigation against opioid manufacturers and pharmacies.
The committee will advise on spending the nearly $16 million settlement payout over the next 18 years as it is collected.
Jimena Loveluck is health officer with the county health department and a member of the committee. She says the group will monitor the long-term effectiveness of the prevention and recovery services they hope to fund.
“Part of the role of the service committee will also be to advise the commissioners on what should the ongoing oversight and monitoring of these funds look like."
Loveluck says the committee is also interested in using the funding to increase distribution of naloxone. It’s a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.
The committee hopes to present its first recommendations to the board in September.
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
