By Katy St. Clair. Bay City News.
Santa Clara County supervisors on Tuesday will discuss how to spend the nearly $50 million in opioid settlement cash the county will receive to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis.
Leading the charge is Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who said she established the county’s first fentanyl task force two years ago after a 12-year-old boy died from fentanyl poisoning. Chavez said so far the county has $48 million to spend on the problem.
Santa Clara County will receive a portion of a multimillion-dollar national opioid settlement against drug manufacturers, distributors and retailers for their role in creating a state and national crisis.
According to the county, it expects to receive money from seven deals, though only two have been finalized: one with opioid maker Janssen and one with distributors Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. Deals are pending with Allergan Finance, CVS, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Walgreens Co. and Walmart, and the county estimates they will be finalized “in the coming months.”
“Based on information currently available, it is estimated that the county could receive up to $45 million from the Janssen and distributor settlements over 18 years,” the county said in a report to the Board of Supervisors.
Last week, San Francisco announced a $267 million deal with Allergan, Teva and Walgreens.
Santa Clara County is looking at four “areas” in which to spend the money: prevention, harm reduction, treatment services and recovery. This would include developing a “more robust” public awareness campaign about the dangers of opioids like fentanyl, especially targeting youth and other vulnerable populations.
The county also wants to increase access to naloxone, which reverses overdoses, and fentanyl strips, which detect the drug so users know what they are ingesting. The county also wants to increase services for youth and young adults.
Chavez said San Jose has been designated a “fentanyl hub” by authorities.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the County Government Center, 70 West Hedding St., San Jose.
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