Blair Co. Commissioners discuss opioid settlement funds

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa (WTAJ)–The Blair County Commissioners are considering their options with the settlements they’ll receive from the 2021 National Opioid Settlement.

The National Opioid Settlement is a settlement from a billion-dollar lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers. That settlement includes companies such as CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart.

Blair County Commissioner Bruce Erb said the state could receive over $800,000,000.

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Erb said Thursday that the county could receive between $2 to $4,600,000 throughout 18 to 20 years. Additionally, these numbers are in the early stages and could change.

“What we did today was agree to submit our application that we would agree to the terms of the settlement,” Erb said. “So that’s the action we took today because there’s a deadline next week.”

These funds from the settlement are to be allocated for opioid treatment and prevention. The commissioners are considering using the funds to do a treatment program within the prison.

These funds would create a Medication Assistant Treatment Program for the inmates. That kind of treatment involves a combination of medications with behavioral and counseling therapies.

Erb said this idea is in the early stages, and nothing is finalized. They may also consider applying for other grants and using the settlement funds in another area.

“One of the things we need to look at is a medically Assisted Treatment program in our prison, which we don’t have,” Erb said. “That is a very expensive program to implement and maintain. As a result, we look that’s where a large amount of these funds are committed to.”

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The amount of funds the county will receive this year is unclear. Erb said the earliest they will receive it is in December.

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