All Tennessee counties to receive funds from lawsuit

HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — After a nationwide lawsuit against drug makers, counties all over Tennessee are receiving funding to fight a nationwide crisis.

On February 24, Tennessee’s Abatement Council announced it is making the first payments from opioid lawsuit settlements to all 95 counties.

“Henderson County has experienced some significant loss through overdoses because of opioids, the synthetic opioids, coming across with the pill presses,” said Henderson County Mayor Robbie McCready. “So this class action lawsuit will have a significant impact.”

This settlement totals more than $31.4 million, Henderson County will receive more than $122,000 for opioid prevention.

“The things that we’re looking at is establishing a drug coalition for our county and really getting some resources out and partner with private resources. Also, really give the overall community prevention notice,” McCready said.

McCready says the county does a good job in teaching prevention to youth with programs like DARE, but after fifth grade, he says there aren’t as many resources as they get older.

“Some of the young men and women that we’re losing in our community are in their early 20s, so I’d like to find an avenue where we can reach out and do so some education there,” McCready said.

County leaders are able to select various activities from a list that includes treatment programs, medication assisted treatment, recovery support, and other prevention measures.

“It’s just not the person by taking it as an individual as an addiction, but it also affects families. You have children in DCS custody, sometimes you have loved one’s that are gone, so there’s a lot of other things that this money is going to spent on,” McCready said.

To view the complete list of payment amounts to each Tennessee county, click here.

You can find more news from across the state here.