Kentucky is set to get $842 million in settlement from the opioid abatement settlement program.
While that settlement is substantial, it’s just a drop in the bucket of what is needed compared to the overall scope of the problem, according to Bryan Hubbard, chair and executive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission.
“When we consider the fact that Purdue pharma cleared $100 million a month for years on the sale of Oxycontin,” Hubbard said. “This state is going to receive over 18 years what that company, which created this problem, cleared in just a little over eight months.”
Presenting the latest information on the settlement to a joint meeting of the House and Senate’s Health Services Committee, Hubbard said he hoped to see improvements in treatment programs coming from the settlements.Â
“The one thing we have to look for is the opportunity to build a clinical treatment paradigm that covers us from front to back,” Hubbard said.
Chair of the House Health Services Committee Rep. Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill) said that she agreed with Hubbard’s comments, but it’s hard to put a financial number on the cost of a human life.
“I think that the national settlement really shined the light on the damage that Purdue Pharma, and some of these huge pharmaceutical companies, specifically Purdue, did to our families, our communities, our states, our people,” Moser said.
Nationwide, Kentucky’s chunk of the settlement comes from a global settlement of $26 billion.
In the Commonwealth, $478 million will come from three big distributors — AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson—and Johnson & Johnson.
Further, another settlement fund from CVS, Walmart, and Teva/Allergan will be responsible for just over $480 million.
The General Assembly’s passage of House Bill 427 created the Advisory Commission, which traveled around the state to hear from those affected by the opioid crisis and alert organizations to apply for settlements.
In October, the commission stopped in Covington, along with 10 other stops statewide. At the meeting, Hubbard encouraged organizations to apply for grants to fight the epidemic.
“These funds will be used, in part, to support organizations that develop and implement programs to combat the opioid crisis in Kentucky,” said Attorney General Daniel Cameron, whose office oversees the commission.
So far, the commission has received 32 completed grant applications, with 231 applications being processed. They expect the first disbursements to occur this spring and, so far, have been asked for $63.6 million. The disbursements will occur through 2038.
In his Thursday press conference, Gov. Andy Beshear encouraged Kentuckians who need help to apply for the Recovery Ready Communities program — which helps those seeking treatment to do so at no cost.
“One life lost to drug overdose is too many, and we must continue to commit ourselves to doing everything we can to help not just those struggling with addiction but their families and communities as well,” Beshear said.
Dallas Hurley, Senior Policy Director, Volunteers of America Mid-States, presented information on Recovery Ready to the committee.
Speaking about the Recovery Ready program, House Health Services Chair Moser pointed out that Northern Kentucky has the Northern Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy that assists in substance use policy initiatives and helps those who need help.
“But for the smaller counties who don’t have something that’s organized yet, putting together this team really helps do a broad assessment of what’s in place, what resources are needed, and in putting together that blueprint,” Moser said.