Battle Ground and Clark County are set to receive a portion of an overall nearly $372 million through a resolution between Washington state and four companies that produced or sold opioids, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced earlier this month.
Of the top-five counties to receive funds, Clark County comes in fifth with $27.1 million, the release stated. King County came in first with $104.4 million.
More specifically, the Clark County government will receive about $18.1 million, while Battle Ground will receive about $555,000 and is the only North Clark County city to receive funds, according to the attorney general’s office information.
The payments totaling around $372 million for the companies range from $50 million from Allergan to $120.3 million from Walgreens, a release from the attorney general’s office stated. CVS will also pay out $110.7 million and Teva will pay $90.8 million.
The resolutions will pay out over several years, the release stated. Overall legislation from Ferguson’s office has secured more than $1.1 billion from opioid companies over the next 15 years.
Half of the funds from the resolutions will go to eligible cities and counties, according to the release, with the remainder going to the state. All of the funds must be used for opioid remediation.
“These resources are flowing to every corner of the state to address the fentanyl crisis and improve treatment options,” Ferguson stated in the release. “This will save lives and make our communities safer.”
The resolutions restrict Allergan from selling opioids for a decade and Teva won’t be able to market the drugs, the release stated. CVS and Walgreens will have to tightly monitor prescriptions for the drugs.
Last fall, Washington received more than half a billion from resolutions stemming from previous lawsuits against opioid distributors from the attorney general’s office, according to the release.
It’s up to local governments to determine how to spend their share of the resolutions, the release stated. The Washington State Legislature will determine how they allocate the state funds across the state. In the past legislative session, more than $64 million was allocated across a number of efforts, including about $15.4 million to tribes and urban Indian health programs, and $5 million for naloxone distribution.
Spending decisions must follow the state’s “Opioid Response Plan,” the release stated.
