Perry County: $44K in Settlement First Round

The Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council is making the first payments totaling $31.4 million from opioid lawsuit settlements to counties.

The state began processing the direct payments from the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund to county governments this week.

Perry County is to receive $44,026.61 in this first round of allocations.

In accordance with terms of the Distributor and Janssen/J&J settlement agreements negotiated by the Tennessee Attorney General, 35% of proceeds go directly to county governments so that local leaders can direct spending on programs to address the effects of opioids on citizens and communities.

County leaders are able to select activities from a list approved by the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council at its meeting in September 2022.  Approved uses include a continuum of opioid use disorder treatment programs, medication assisted treatment, recovery supports, and prevention measures.

“There isn’t a county in Tennessee that hasn’t been touched by the opioid crisis.  The funding going to these counties will have an immediate and much-needed impact.  We are excited to get this funding out to all 95 counties of our great state, and we can’t wait to see how local leaders put it to good use,” said Stephen Loyd, MD, Opioid Abatement Council Chairman.

The remaining 65-per-cent of settlement dollars will be distributed through a competitive grant application process to be established the Opioid Abatement Council.  The processes for applying for funding and scoring applications are on the agenda for the Council’s next meeting at the end of the month.

The first payments to come from the Opioid Abatement Trust fund mark a milestone in the state’s work to address the effects of the opioid crisis.  Payments from these settlements, while not as large as this initial payment, will continue annually for 18 years.

Perry’s neighbors are receiving the following amounts: Benton, $80,407.37; Decatur, $56,065.09; Hickman, $151,344.58; Humphreys, $91,215.23; Lewis, $66,836.90; and Wayne, $78,591.73.