As a part of the "OneOhio Subdivision Settlement," the Franklin County Board of Commissioners will vote Thursday on an ordinance to approve the county's portion in the National Opioid Settlement.
Ohio will get $809 million over 18 years from the national settlement, specifically with McKesson Corporation, Dublin-based Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen Corporation. Franklin County is estimated to receive around $8.1 million over the same time period.
According to a county commissioner's spokesman, the amount is assuming 95% of litigants sign on to the agreement, and that a large part of the money would go towards an abatement foundation that splits Ohio into different regions. The Franklin County region will receive almost $31 million from the foundation.
Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce said the settlement is a starting block not only in the abatement and mitigation of the opioid crisis, but also prevention.
"Here's the bottom line, there is no amount that we can receive that is appropriate to the loss of life or the impact that opiates have had on Central Ohio," he said.
Boyce added that people should not just focus on the amount that Franklin County is receiving from the settlement, but rather what Ohio is receiving as a whole.
"We've got to work together with surrounding counties which is also a factor in our numbers to figure out how we can not just abate and mitigate the problem, but also support prevention strategies," he said.
A report from the Franklin County Coroner's office found that there were 744 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2020, which accounted for 87% of all overdose deaths that year.
