Council reviews opiate suit settlement payouts

AKRON, Ohio

Summit County Council heard from the Opiate Abatement Advisory Council (OAAC) on the county’s disbursement of its share of the $123 million, as well as products (medications) and donations, it received in a settlement of a federal opioid lawsuit concluded in the fall of 2019.

OAAC, which includes representatives from the health care, addiction treatment, mental health, child welfare, education and public safety fields, began last April to make recommendations on how to disburse the settlement funds in the county, with a focus on treatment, system and infrastructure, harm reduction and education, and evidence-based prevention.