Groups make pitch for opioid funding

By Amanda Redman aredman@thepaperofwabash.com

Several local drug and alcohol program representatives asked Wabash County Council for portions of the opioid settlement in a Feb. 20 meeting.

National Opioid Settlement will provide the county with $934,780 in abatement funds through the state. The compensation is for lawsuits over the country’s opioid epidemic.

Funds will be paid out over 18 years from pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource, along with manufacturer Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

Abatement funds must be used to educate about, prevent and/or treat alcohol and drug addiction.

“This money has to be spent on those things,” said Matthew Mize, council vice-chairman.

The settlement provides $400,620.13 in unrestricted funds the county can spend more broadly, said Marcie Shepherd, county auditor.

Mike Keaffaber and Danielle Gargiulo were first to address the council as representatives of Wabash County Drug Prevention Steering Committee.

The committee is made up of volunteers from interested organizations including Wabash County Sheriff, Youth Service Bureau and Bowen Center, which Gargiulo also represents.

The committee is not funded by the county and volunteers frequently donate needed supplies for programs including outreach in all county schools, Keaffaber said.

“Our focus is on prevention,” Keaffaber said. “Specifically, with our students but also with the community.”

Gargiulo said the committee spends $15,000 each year on programs. Keaffaber asked that the council delegate a portion of the settlement funds to the committee.

“One thing we really struggle with is just trying to raise funds for these different programs,” Keaffaber said.

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