AG Todd Rokita
Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that he is sending more than $8.8 million to various Indiana towns, cities and counties in the next rebound of opioid settlement funds distributed under his leadership. The administration has secured the money through settlements from companies that have allegedly contributed to Indiana’s opioid epidemic including Publicis Health, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health. In total, Attorney General Rokita has reached settlements worth more than $925 million with multiple companies involved in the processes of making, selling, advertising or distributing opioids.
Additional distribution payments are expected in the Fall from AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal health, Mckesson, CVS, Allergan, Janssen and Teva.
How much of the extra funding will be coming to Brown County?
The amount changes in each account every year depending on the total settlements and community needs. Auditor Bookkeeper Theresa Cobian told the Democrat that Brown County will be receiving an additional $4,000 in the unrestricted and $6,000 in the abatement accounts this year because of a Walgreens settlement.
In 2023, Brown County received $30,480.54 in the unrestricted opioid settlement account, an account established for distribution to cities, counties and towns according to opioid impacts in each community. The county also received $78,057.46 in the abatement opioid settlement account.
The abatement account is used primarily to fund treatment, education and prevention programs. Priority is given to core strategies including FDA approved drugs to reverse opioid overdose, medication-assisted treatment and distribution and other opioid-related treatment, pregnant and postpartum women, expanding treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome, expansion of warm hand-off programs and recovery services, treatment for incarcerated population, prevention programs, expanding syringe service programs and research analyzing the effectiveness of the afformentioned strategies.
