The opioid abuse epidemic in Guilford County – and across the country – rages on, but there’s some good news when it comes to that battle. Guilford County government, which originally expected to get about $20 million from a lawsuit settlement with opioid makers and distributors, has been informed that it will instead get nearly twice that amount.
State and local governments across the country collectively brought a massive lawsuit against major companies that were alleged to have contributed to and willfully fueled the national epidemic, which has claimed many lives through overdose and has ruined other lives in various ways.
For nearly two years, Guilford County has been anticipating $20 million in proceeds from that suit – to come in over a 20-year period – but now that number will be $39.2 million over that same period.
Guilford County Communications and Public Relations Director Julie Smith said the $20 million the county has been expecting turned out to be just the start.
“There have been two waves of settlement funds announced,” Smith said. “The initial wave was for the $20 million.”
She added that the $39.2 million is the “updated number from the state which reflects recent settlements.”
Guilford County officials plan to use the nearly $40 million over the next two decades to repair some of the damage that opioid abuse has done to the county and the people and the families in it.
In a “State of the County address” delivered last week, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston made the ongoing battle a point of emphasis. He stated that there is “strategic planning work underway with providers, advocates, and survivors for the $39.2 million in opioid settlement funds … to save lives, stop the suffering, reduce the stigma and address the ongoing impacts of the opioid epidemic.”
Just make sure the big money goes to help for the suffering addict, not the administrators of the services needed!
Only YOU & I can decide that! By voting for less government… We The People should only fund basic needs & services. The government should be dependent upon the people, not the people dependent upon government.
Where do you think it is going? To add more administrators with the faithful?
You can be certain it will go to politically well-connected people and be about as likely to benefit the people of Guilford Co. as if it were being spent by the Mafia.
Make sure Skip and company really use it for addicts and not personal gain or pet projects. You know, the typical waste they like to support.
Amen a thousand times over!! Can we say museum? Or his many multitudes of other failures which gained him a lot of money but nothing else. Just another way for him to funnel money into his own personal pocket and we all know it!
Why don’t you build some facilities for these people to go to to get help instead of putting them all in prison.
This is hysterical as we ALL know Skippy will find a way to funnel some of that money into one of his special projects which means it will go into his personal pocket!! Somebody outside the GCC sure better govern that money and not anyone who’s friends or knows Skippy! Skipper is a freaking joke!
Hopefully this money will be used for facilities for these people to go to and rehabilitate themselves.
The only caveat there is…people have to WANT to rehabilitate…overdoses aren’t “accidental” when you intentionally ingest drugs in a safe space drug den or whatever they call them.
No Skip, you cannot have any for your money pit museum. IT IS NOT YOURS
I see no thanks to the former County Attorney, Mark Payne, for heading up this litigation!! Wouldn’t have this money WITHOUT him! Let’s hope the funds get used as intended by the lawsuit!
10% for the “Big Guy.”