MORGANTOWN — Morgantown City Council recently passed a resolution that will allow the city to receive its portion of the $26 million opioid settlement reached by Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office in a lawsuit against Endo Health Solutions and Par Pharmaceuticals.
That amount, according to Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy, is $7,943.32.
Monongalia County Administrator Rennetta McClure said the county commission approved a memorandum of understanding on March 16 that will allow the county to receive its portion, which she put at $333,321.
Of the $26 million settlement, 24.5% ($6,370,000) has been allocated for disbursement to the state’s counties and municipalities based on percentages included in the settlement terms.
Locally, those percentages include: Monongalia County 1.4987%; Preston County .8811%; Granville .1649%; Morgantown .1330%; Star City .0414%; Westover .0094%.
According to information included as part of city council’s meeting packet, opioid settlement funds may be used to expand training and distribution of Naloxone, promote prevention programs and support medication-assisted treatment, among other things.
The remaining 75.5% of the settlement will include an $18,850,000 (72.5%) share for an 11-member panel known as the Opioid Foundation, which will, among other things, provide funds for statewide programs, innovations, research and education.
That body will include five members appointed by the governor and approved by the senate and one member from each of the state’s six regions.
Monongalia, Preston and Marion counties fall in Region 4, along with Braxton, Lewis, Harrison, Taylor, Tucker, Barbour, Randolph, Gilmer, Doddridge and Upshur counties.
The final 3% ($780,000) will be held in escrow by the state for expenses incurred related to opioid litigation.
Morrisey’s office filed the lawsuit in 2019, claiming Endo utilized misleading marketing practices and understated the potential for addiction.
