CHAMBERSBURG – The Franklin County Commissioners have announced the county could receive as much as $6.5 million to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic, thanks to two nationwide settlements with drug manufacturers and distributors.
Through the 2022 National Opioid Settlement, drug manufacturers Allergan and Teva Pharmaceuticals as well as pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart will pay billions of dollars for their roles in the opioid crisis. Similarly, the nation’s three largest drug distributors – McKennson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen – and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson have also agreed to pay billions through a 2021 settlement. Both settlements are the result of a multistate investigation into the manufacture, distribution and promotion of opioids.
“Personal responsibility plays a role in any situation where substance abuse is involved. By the same token, the pharmaceutical industry was reckless in the part it played in the opioid crisis,” said Franklin County Commissioner Dave Keller. “We thought it was absolutely necessary for the health and safety of our residents to join the fight to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable and ensure that justice was served.”
Pennsylvania will receive more than $2.2 billion from the pharmaceutical industry through these agreements, and that money will be distributed to counties for remediation efforts on the local level. Franklin County and local municipalities with more than 10,000 residents – the Borough of Chambersburg, the Borough of Waynesboro and Antrim, Hamilton, Greene, Guilford and Washington townships – partnered to secure the maximum awards available to Franklin County.
Those payments will be received in installments over the next two decades. Allergan and Teva Pharmaceuticals will make payments over 13 years; CVS, Walgreens and Walmart will pay their portion over 15 years. The 2021 agreement will be paid over the course of 18 years.
The commissioners, with recommendations from the Franklin/Fulton Drug and Alcohol Advisory Board, will now determine how to best utilize the settlement funds, based upon the parameters of the agreements, to stem future opioid use across Franklin County.
“While the money from these settlements can in no way bring back those lost to and affected by the opioid epidemic, the funds will provide us with additional resources to have a meaningful impact moving forward,” said Keller.
Since the opioid crisis began, the commissioners have implemented or supported the following strategies in partnership with municipalities, non-profits, counseling and treatment providers, schools, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and state and federal agencies to fight the problem: Operation Save A Life trainings, Naloxone (Narcan) availability, Substance Use/Co-occurring Disorder Treatment, Good Wolf Treatment Court, medication lock box campaign, medication disposal programs, certified recovery housing, evidence-based prevention programs, Franklin County Overdose Task Force, mobile Vivitrol services, Get Back Up, stigma reduction, recovery liaison, Hospital Warm Hand-Off, certified recovery specialist support, town halls/educational workshops, and Jail To Community Treatment (JTCT).
For more information on services available in Franklin County, contact Franklin/Fulton Drug and Alcohol at 717-263-1256 or ffda@franklincountypa.gov. Information is also available by visiting the Franklin/Fulton Drug and Alcohol page at www.franklincountypa.gov. Individuals seeking immediate help for themselves or for someone they know should call PA Get Help Now at 800-662-4357.
