Pharmaceutical companies have been fined for their opioid manufacturing that has been blamed for addictions. An opioid abatement settlement means financial support to local government for treatment programs.
Chelan County solicited requests for proposals from local providers and 17 treatment agencies have stepped forward to assist.
"We'll need to decide what our (performance) matrix is going to be and provide that to Douglas County and our two cities," said Chelan County Commission Chair Kevin Overbay. "The four entities can choose which ones (treatment providers) they want to do, or we can set our priorities with the dollars that we have."
Earlier this year, the state announced it will receive $371.8 million from five companies that produced or sold opioids. The money will be divided between the state and 125 eligible local governments that signed onto the state’s opioid settlement.
Chelan County will receive $2.9 million, Douglas County will receive $1.5 million, and the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee will receive $1.1 million and $320,644, respectively.
"I think we need to develop what our priorities are for those dollars, whether its short term, long term, or a combination of both; what impact we want to make," Overbay added.
Chelan and Douglas counties and their two largest cities joined Grant and Okanogan counties and the city of Moses Lake to form the North Central Washington Opioid Abatement Council to address the epidemic regionally.
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