CLINTON COUNTY, Iowa — Clinton Co. is getting $2 million in settlement funds to help fight opioid addiction in the community.
The funds are from a multi-state lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributers. On Tuesday, Sept. 19 and 26, the Clinton County Board of Supervisors held meetings getting public input on how to spend the money.
The county started getting the money last year, and will get a portion of the settlement funds every couple years through the year 2038.
Here's a breakdown of the funding schedule:
At the meetings, some of the agenda items included the need to have more conversations of substance use in schools, and the lack of recovery resources in the community. Executive Director of Clinton Substance Abuse Council (CSAC) Kristin Huisenga said substance abuse has been an ongoing issue in Clinton Co.
"Substance use in general has been identified as a public health concern for pretty much as long as I can remember doing this work," Huisenga said.
"I've been here for 12 years, in every five year cycle, we do what is called a community health needs assessment, and substance abuse has been one of the top for the 12 years I've been here," Community Health Manager at Genesis Health System Michele Cullen said.
Huisenga said less than 10% of Clinton Co. kids use a drug substance. However, she also said as of the week of Monday, Sept. 25, over the last two weeks, there's been six overdoses in the county, and they've seen higher rates of emergency room admission.
Clinton Co. officials said there's no timeline right now to spend the money, but they're going to keep getting input from community members. There's also no restrictions on how the money can be spent.
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