Bay County to Distribute First Round of Opioid Settlement Dollars

The Bay County Board of Commissioners has announced the first allocation of opioid settlement funds totaling nearly $393,000.

The county was awarded about $6 million in total from the $26 billion settlement reached to resolve all opioid litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors: McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen. Other cases are still pending, and settlement money will be paid over the next 16 to 18 years.

The county will provide the first allocation to Scared Heart Rehabilitation Center, Inc., Families Against Narcotics (FAN), Peer 360 Recovery Alliance, and Recovery Pathways, LLC. Beginning with 2025 and each subsequent year going forward, remaining settlement money will be dispersed to further provide services and resources for opioid abatement, education, and treatment until all funds are depleted.