AG meets to Flint leaders about how to use opioid settlement money
FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - Opioid settlement money is on the way for the state of Michigan, and Walgreens is the next company set to pay out.
Michigan Attorney General (AG) Dana Nessel was in Flint on Friday to talk with city leaders and the community about the uses of that settlement money.
“That’s money that people needed yesterday to help aid in treatment and prevention,” Nessel said.
A roundtable discussion was held at the Flint Public Library Friday evening, Aug. 18 to discuss the state’s opioid settlement money. It’s part of a series of events aimed at informing counties on just what exactly they can and cannot use that money for.
“We need to have all of these, you know, municipalities, all of the cities and the townships, and the county working together because that’s how we’re best going to be able to treat people who are suffering from opioid addiction,” Nessel said.
The settlement is $338 million from Walgreens, and while counties ultimately will decide how to spend that money, it will come with strings attached.
“It can only be used for something that is related to opioid use disorder, prevention, or treatment,” Nessel said.
Flint has a million dollars on hand from the settlement money.
Nessel said she feels the city provides a good example of how to utilize resources for opioid addiction.
“Here in Genesee County, they’ve been working on this issue for a very, very long time,” Nessel said. “They know, what is best needed in this community, and that’s what we’re hoping for, that those dollars are going to be spent and that we’re going to have a lot of people whose lives are changed for the better.”
Discussions during the roundtable saw many in attendance asking for the money to be used in more creative ways, like creating temporary housing for opioid users and more components to help with prenatal care and mental healthcare.
“When you hear the phrase, ‘It takes a village,’ it really does take a village. It takes a whole county coming together and deciding best uses and best practices when it involves this settlement fund,” Nessel said.
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