By James Brown
Glasgow News 1
The Barren County Opioid Settlement Committee had a brief meeting Monday morning to acknowledge and distribute 15 grant applications.
Last month the committee finalized the language of the grant applications and made them available online. The applications were due by Oct. 15.
“In front of you we have all 15 of the opioid applications,” said committee chair Bethany Steenbergen. She said some of the applications had documents that will be emailed to the committee members for them to review along with the physical copies of the applications distributed to the committee Monday.
“What I would like to see happen is for all of us to go through [the applications], think about your questions, think about the recovery readiness scores that we had, and which [applications] address which things our community needed the most,” Steenbergen said.
She said at the next meeting they can review any questions the committee has, and invite the grant applicant administrators to the meeting to answer questions.
Committee member Tim Durham pointed out that some applications came from outside of Kentucky.
Steenbergen said nothing prevented applicants from outside of Barren County, but that those applicants would need to supply information on how the proposed program would work in Barren County.
“I think if it doesn’t address [that] in the application, it would not be up for consideration,” she added.
The committee agreed that if the applicant doesn’t specifically explain how its program would benefit Barren County residents, then its application would not move forward for consideration after the next opioid committee meeting.
The committee has a special-called meeting set for Nov. 2. Application finalists will be interviewed Nov. 16, according to the previously released committee meeting schedule.
What are opioid abatement funds?
Opioid abatement funds are settlement monies stemming from a 2017 federal lawsuit known as the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, which alleged that pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacies, and distributors contributed to an opioid crisis by misrepresenting the risks of addiction, among other claims.
A state-level board called the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission was established to manage 50% of the settlement funds, while the other 50% is distributed to qualifying counties and cities.
Barren County began receiving its opioid abatement funds in August 2023 and has yet to spend any of the funds, which total around $500,000. The funds have accrued interest at a 6% interest rate while awaiting the future decisions on where the monies will be spent.
Key Facts:
– The committee distributed 15 grant applications for review Oct. 19.
– Applications were due Oct. 15.
– Proposals must explain their benefit to Barren County residents.
– Finalist interviews are scheduled for Nov. 16.
What’s Next:
A special-called committee meeting is set for Nov. 2. Steenbergen said members can review questions and invite applicant administrators to answer them. Finalists will be interviewed Nov. 16, according to the previously released committee schedule;
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