Opioid Settlement Funds Received by County
By Randy Pierce
MADISON COUNTY — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine has announced confirmation of the pending receipt by his office of $617,000 in funds related to nationwide settlements of legal cases involving retailers and manufacturers of opioids, this money supplementing a previous amount from a similar source totaling $3.7 million, with the possibility that more could be awarded at some point in the future.
As discussed by Haine at a meeting of the county board judiciary committee held on Thursday, May 2, and included in a statement he has released, the settlement from a nationwide litigation with the Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart and CVS Pharmacy chains plus Allergen and Teva, companies which make opioids, calls for financial awards to similar government units throughout the United States.
Under the terms of the settlement, Haine explained, this money can only be used toward opioid remediation programs such as training first responders, public education including that directed at the youth population and as it concerns addiction, treatment and support services plus research and related activities involving the criminal justice system. The county is required to provide documentation verifying the proper use of the settlement funds to the Illinois Attorney General’s office.
Haine told the judiciary committee that one of the local level partners he feels would benefit from this money would be the Madison County Mental Health Board while there are also non-profit organizations which may administer programs that would qualify for it.
“We’re doing good work and we’re hoping that we have more coming in” like that which has been shared with all counties in Illinois, Haine said.
He further explained that the settlement totals were being awarded on a fluctuating percentage basis for each round of the release of the funds. From this point forward, however, based on his preferences expressed to the Illinois Attorney General, the total will be calculated on a consistent, fixed percentage of the overall settlement amount so that there are “no doubts, no questions, no sudden surprises up in the back rooms in Springfield and Chicago.”
“We’re happy for that,” Haine commented further, expressing optimism that more money will continue to come to the county as a result of this situation.
When Madison County received the $3.7 million from the initial settlement last year, the source was three distributors of opioids, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, and one manufacturer, Janssen.
The federal ruling resulting in the settlement led to the awarding of about $26 billion nationwide pertinent to over 3000 lawsuits that had been filed, all of this passing through the court system since early 2021. This is the second highest, dollarwise, public settlement emanating from a health issue in the history of the United States, being surpassed only by one where the tobacco industry took a major hit in the 1990s.
Opioids had been distributed as pain relief medication and consist of substances derived from opium plants. Resultant problems for users led to such outcomes as serious withdrawal symptoms when the use of opioids was stopped and other negative health effects.
