TAHLEQUA – A portion of the $5 million opioid distributor settlement will soon be allocated to the city of Tahlequah and Cherokee County for substance abuse treatment and prevention.
Tahlequah County’s share will be $394,308.20, covering the first four years of the settlement and partial payments in year seven. Cherokee County will receive $12,845.29 for the same period.
City Administrator Taylor Tannehill said the city is reviewing the agreement with Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office, which requires the funds to be used for specific purposes.
Designated uses include expanding FDA-approved drugs to reverse opioid overdoses, medication-assisted treatment, treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome, treatment for incarcerated populations, prevention programs, and syringe service programs.
“We have not had any direct discussions with any entities about how to use this money,” Tannehill said. “We need to consider what we can spend it on before we decide where to spend it.”
Kelly Blair Campbell, grants and special projects coordinator for Cherokee County District 1, said the county decided to dedicate some of the funds to recovery, support and prevention project efforts.
“The money we receive from the opioid fund is used for direct services and is closely tracked, and you can see that in the WRAP program,” Blair Campbell said. “You can stop by their building any time and see their daily classes and drug testing.”
Blair Campbell said any contract the county enters into must be approved by 27th District District Attorney Jack Thorpe’s office.
“Jack’s office is part of WRAP along with the psychiatric court and the drug court, so that was another thing to check off. Since the District Attorney’s Office is part of these services, using WRAP seemed like a safe choice,” Blair Campbell said. “This is a great use of visible, direct services. It’s tangible.”
Governor Drummond released a statement on August 5 saying that getting the settlement funds into communities across the state is his top priority.
“Oklahoma received its fourth annual payment last month and also received a partial advance payment for the seventh year of an 18-year payment plan,” Drummond said.
According to the announcement, funding will be determined on a per capita basis for participating cities and counties, with other considerations based on the number of opioid overdose deaths in each “political division” and the amount of opioids distributed to that area.
It was announced that cities and counties that chose to participate in the Opioid Distributor Settlement in exchange for releasing claims against several major manufacturers will receive the funds.
Pamela Irons, executive director of the Cherokee County Health Services Council, said those funds should be used to make a long-term impact as the opioid epidemic takes lives and shatters families.
“Addressing both the opioid crisis and the housing needs of our most vulnerable citizens requires a concerted effort from all sectors of society,” Irons said. “This funding can be a foundational fund to leverage other capital to implement impactful initiatives, such as establishing recovery housing/sober living facilities that help provide stable, safe housing for people in recovery.”
Irons said the city and county must come up with a long-term solution that benefits the entire region.
Leslie Berger, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office, said the money was received about four years ago and that Drummond made it a focus of his campaign to ensure the money was distributed.
“The remaining funds will be distributed annually going forward,” Berger said.
