Illinois to Use $760M from Opioid Settlements to Fund Treatment, Prevention Programs: Pritzker

[mucifer]

?itok=j-ZBT8XM

llinois officials Friday unveiled their plans to use the $760 million they expect to get from the settlement of lawsuits against nation’s three biggest drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson to fund recovery and treatment programs throughout the state.

The agreement represents the second largest national settlement in U.S. history, dwarfed only by the agreements with tobacco firms reached in the 1990s. Governments must spend the settlement funds to help those suffering from the opioid crisis, according to the terms of the agreement.

Pritzker announced he would sign an executive order to create the Office of Opioid Settlement Administration as part of the Illinois Department of Human Services to spend the funds during the next 18 years. The office’s appointed administrator will be charged with spending the funds as called for in the State Overdose Action Plan and ensure they are “used equitably to fund recovery and treatment programs in the counties and municipalities with the most urgent need.”

“Everyone’s life is worth saving, and this administration will leave no stone unturned as we work to bring the opioid epidemic to an end,” Pritzker said.

https://news.wttw.com/2022/07/29/illinois-use-760m-opioid-settlements-fund-treatment-prevention-programs-pritzker

[Midnight Writer]

1. I like Pritzker more now than when I voted for him.

What a contrast with former Republican Governor Rauner!

I was a bit skeptical of another billionaire running for office, but Pritzker is doing a great job of putting our financial house in order, handling our State pension system, and shifting our priorities to where they are most needed.

[ShazzieB]

2. Thank you, Gov. Pritzker for doing such a great job!

I've never felt better about living in this state than I have since he's been governor. He has definitely exceeded my expectations!

I had the good fortune to meet him when he was campaigning for the Dem nomination. Our local Indivisible group invited each of the Democratic candidates to come and speak so we could learn more about them. Pritzker was the only one whose event I was able to attend, and my mind was pretty well made up that day. I was THAT impressed with his sincerity and genuine concern for the issues facing the state, and he has proved me right many times over.

It wasn't until after he'd been governor for a while that I learned about his role in working with Holocaust survivors to build the Illininois Holocaust Museum, and that impressed me even more:
https://forward.com/news/104682/skokie-to-open-new-holocaust-museum/

[raising2moredems]

3. After the tobacco company settlement pilfering..

done by some states, I'm glad to hear IL is using the settlement to address the problems Opioids caused.