Moniteau County has received $13,000 for opioid relief programs.
According to an article from the News Tribune, Missouri will receive $8.8 million in funds garnered from opioid lawsuit settlements. The report said "the settlement funds come from three years of payments from various distributors and two years from a settlement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals."
Counties throughout the state will receive funding based on their needs. The report stated Cole County is receiving $115,000 in funding with Jefferson City receiving $67,000.
As Moniteau County waited for its opioid funding to arrive, County Treasurer Sarah Jones assembled a committee to attend to the future of opioid programs in the area. She said Moniteau County Sheriff Tony Wheatley, Prosecuting Attorney Derik T. Kinde and Associate Circuit Judge Aaron Martin joined the group.
"It was supposed to be left up to the (county) commissioners...but the commissioners don't deal with that kind of stuff. Honestly, your law enforcement and judicial system, they have definitely more handle on what's going on in our county, on that in particular," Jones said. "So, when this came about, I'm like, 'Well, I'm not setting us up for that kind of decision-making. I'm gonna go on and create a committee to give us some options and give us some advice on what to do with this money.' Just to give us some recommendations."
Jones said funding from the settlement can be used for anything related to opioid relief such as education, law enforcement and rehabilitation. However, she stressed Moniteau options are limited due to a lack of resources.
"(The money) can be anything for, like halfway houses. Or any kind of rehab process could be good. Our county, we don't have those avenues. I mean, Cole County has a few, so they could dump some money into ( things) like that. But we don't. So we're thinking of more education," Jones said.
The committee is currently discussing the establishment of a scholarship program for county high school students. Jones said if any graduates intend to go into law enforcement, counseling or pharmaceuticals they would be given a scholarship encouraging their studies.
Currently, Moniteau County has only received $13,000. Although Jones emphasized the county is receiving additional money for the program, slated to arrive in early August. However, Moniteau still needs to be frugal with how opioid settlements funds need to be spent moving forward.
"This is going to stretch out for 18 years. And you think, 'Oh, boy, that's gonna be a lot of money for a long time.' No, it's not. It's going to be a little bit of money for a long time and you've got to babysit all of that," Jones said.
The committee is looking to establish its scholarship program this coming school year. Jones said with limited resources, the committee has to think outside of the box. This includes diverting funds for more in-depth training for law enforcement - how to approach someone high on opioids or how to recognize them. Jones did say the county does have a "drug court," a drug treatment program for individuals under court supervision, however, no one is currently enrolled in the program.