Montgomery Co. receives opioid settlement, creates opioid fund

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Both Montgomery County and the state of Ohio are setting up funds with money derived from opioid settlements. Now, the question is how best to help people that were impacted by the opioid crisis.

“We’re talking people’s lives here,” Anita Kitchen said.

Kitchen, Dayton Chapter of Families of Addicts executive director, told News Center 7 the fund is well overdue. The funds have been created from settlements from opioid drug manufactures and drug store chains.

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“Is it enough? No. There are people that profited so much off people suffering and dying,” Kitchen said.

Kitchen was glad that Montgomery County Commissioners, at a Tuesday morning work session, officially set up their opioid Relief Fund. The cash that will go in their account is separate from the state’s OneOhio opioid settlement fund.

“We want to be fair to everybody,” Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge said. “We know there is such a need out there. We’re working as fast as we possibly can.”

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Dodge told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell that the fund is mostly funded by money from drug store chains. They are setting up legal requirements and grant application guidelines for addiction recovery services to apply for help. It could be late spring when money is available.

“This area was known as the ‘opioid capitol of the world,’ for heaven’s sake. We don’t want that to ever happen again,” Dodge said.

Families of Addicts say they families of people that couldn’t say no to the addictive medicine have suffered the most. They’d love to help those families paying for funerals of loved ones, but if not that, they would like the money to fund insurance co-payments for recovery services.

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