County to get additional $2M from opioid settlements
Butler County is expected to receive more than $2 million from additional national opioid abuse settlement funds.
The county commissioners on Wednesday, Sept. 24, approved a resolution to enter into settlement agreements with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, and secondary opioid manufacturers.
The county will receive about $1.9 million from Purdue and $300,000 from the secondary manufacturers, said Ann Brown, county budget director. The secondary manufacturers are Alvogen, Amneal, Apotez, Hikma, Indivior, Mylan, Sun and Zydus, according to the resolution.
Under previous settlement agreements, municipalities with populations over 10,000 had to sign forms approving the settlements. Those municipalities include Adams, Butler and Cranberry townships and Butler. The agreement for the current settlements appears to require approval from municipalities with a population over 30,000, and Cranberry Township is the only municipality that meets the requirement, Brown said. She said Cranberry Township has signed the form.
The county is not required to share the money with the township or other municipalities, and none have asked for a share of the settlement, she added.
Cranberry Township Emergency Medical Services incurs expenses when responding to overdose calls, said Leslie Osche, board of commissioners chairwoman. She said medics gives information and resources to people present when they respond and conducts follow up contacts.
Solicitor Julie Graham said Brown contacted Adams and Butler townships and Butler, and none of them signed the form, which leads her to believe they are not eligible to receive money from the settlements.
Brown said the smaller companies will make one-time settlement payments ranging from $20,000 to $30,000, but Purdue/Sackler will spread out its payments. The county will begin receiving the money after she submits the paperwork.
In June, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the state was part of a $7.4 billion national settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family for the company’s role in manufacturing and distribution of opioids that fueled a nationwide addiction epidemic.
The settlement ends the Sacklers’ ownership of Purdue and their ability to sell opioids in the United States, according to Sunday.
Pennsylvania is estimated to receive as much as $200 million from the settlement over 15 years.
The county has received $4,475,249 in funds from other opioid settlements since August 2022, and distributes the money to housing, recovery and treatment programs. That amount doesn’t include the money discussed at Wednesday’s commissioner’s meeting.
