New panel mulls Suffolk's use of more than $100 million in opioid settlement money
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. Credit: Morgan Campbell
A new committee will recommend how to use more than $100 million in opioid lawsuit settlements to help reduce drug abuse in Suffolk County, County Executive Steve Bellone announced Thursday.
The committee — made up of top county health, law enforcement, legislative and Bellone administration officials — will produce recommendations for allocating the funding, including for opioid addiction treatment and prevention efforts, Bellone said.
"These settlement agreements can never bring back the loved ones that have been lost to this terrible epidemic, but our hope is that with this funding, we will be able to prevent future tragedies and end this crisis once and for all," Bellone said in a statement.
The 18-member group will meet with addiction experts, nonprofit workers, victim advocates, people in drug recovery and families affected by the opioid crisis, Bellone said.
The committee meetings, the first of which took place Thursday, are closed to the public.
Bellone spokeswoman Nicole Russo declined to say why the meetings were not open.
She characterized them as "internal" sessions, and said findings will be made public after they are filed with the county executive’s office. The filing deadline is Sept. 17.
Suffolk will receive between $108.76 million and $139.16 million in settlements from a class-action lawsuit filed by Suffolk County, Nassau County and state Attorney General Letitia James.
The lawsuit alleges drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies created a "public nuisance" by fueling the opioid crisis, which has been linked to nearly 500,000 deaths over two decades.
Defendants say illicit drug dealers, health regulators who encouraged opioid use and doctors who overprescribed painkillers are to blame.
The settlements removed at least eight defendants from a landmark opioid trial in Central Islip.
The trial is continuing against three remaining drug manufacturers and a drug distributor.
Nassau is set to receive about $115 million from New York's settlement agreements.
Members of the new Suffolk County committee include acting county Police Commissioner Stuart Cameron; Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott; Social Services Commissioner Frances Pierre; Chief Medical Examiner Odette Hall; Bellone chief of staff Amy Keyes and legislative Presiding Officer Robert Calarco (D-Patchogue).
Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.
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