CHENANGO COUNTY – Chenango County recently began distributing its share of the opioid settlement funds received from several pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies.

In 2022, Chenango County received its first payment from the state in a nationwide series of opioid settlement cases. More than 4,000 state and local governments across the United States sued companies found responsible for downplaying the drug’s effects and addictive components while overstating its benefits.

Some of the companies that have agreed to settlements are Purdue Pharma, a pharmaceutical company owned by the infamous Sackler family, “The Big Three” distributors – McKesson, Amerisource Bergen and Cardinal Heath – and pharmacies including CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.

The total nationwide settlement payout is estimated to be about $54 billion, making it the second-largest in history, following the 1998 tobacco settlement.

According to Chenango County Director of Community Services Elizabeth Warneck, the county has received $587,594 in settlement funding, split into two portions.

The first portion is $312,594 from the Office of Addiction Supports and Services (OASAS). This money is specifically designated for prevention services. Warneck said she is designating these funds for prevention because the county is “substantially underfunded for prevention services” from the state aside from the settlement funds, but OASAS has not provided a rationale.