Westmoreland to bank another $26 million from 2nd opioid lawsuit settlement

Westmoreland County is expected to receive another $26 million as part of a national settlement of opioid lawsuits, officials said Tuesday.

Pennsylvania so far has secured about $2.2 billion in payments that resolved litigation against drug manufacturers and distributors accused of spreading opioid abuse throughout the United States. The county, along with its 11 largest municipalities, last year signed on to the first settlement phase that allocated about $22 million to the local government over 17 years.

Two additional settlements with national pharmacy chains such as Walmart, CVS and Walgreens are expected to be approved Thursday by county commissioners and would result in phased allocations over the next 15 years. In all, the county will receive yearly installments that total more than $48 million.

No money has been allocated yet, and commissioners said a plan to spend the settlement funds still is being formulated.

“We are trying to repair the problem these drug companies created for the county,” Commissioner Sean Kertes said.

Officials for years have struggled to deal with the growing impacts of the opioid epidemic. From 2014 through 2017, the number of local fatal overdoses more than doubled. According to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office, a record 193 drug-related deaths were reported in 2017.

After two years of declines, the number of fatal overdoses increased and 168 deaths were recorded in 2021. The Coroner’s Office through October reported 68 fatal overdoses in 2022, with another 25 suspected but awaiting toxicology reports.

The office has not published overdose statistics since Nov. 1.

The county already has received more than $2.5 million from the initial opioid lawsuit settlement last year that will be shared with Derry, Greensburg, Hempfield, Lower Burrell, Mt. Pleasant, Murrysville, New Kensington, North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Rostraver and Unity. Those same communities also will be part of the second settlement.

Commissioners originally said members from those communities would be part of a select committee to be tasked with creating a plan to distribute the settlement funds.

That plan was scuttled late last year when commissioners said they will decide how the money will be spent.

On Tuesday, commissioners said a three-member committee of county human service officials is preparing recommendations for the funding, which is required by terms of the settlement to be used for education, rehabilitation and harm reduction programs.

“They’re going to come up with something so the new settlement money will be (added) to our plan and make it bigger,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher said.

The money cannot be used to pay for law enforcement programs, commissioners said.

Tim Phillips, executive director of the Westmoreland County Drug Overdose Task Force and a member of the group that is preparing a preliminary spending plan for the commissioners, said the money will have an effect on the ongoing impacts of opioid abuse.

“This is going to be a great opportunity to expand our capacity to save lives,” Phillips said. “Year one will be a trial period to see what works.”

He suggested funds could be allocated to drug education programs, prevention efforts, rehabilitation services, drug court and expanded use of lifesaving medication such as Narcan.

The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office also received a separate pot of cash as part of both settlements to pay for drug prevention programs. Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, said the office is slated to receive $2.4 million over 17 years from last year’s settlement.

The amount of funds distributed to the District Attorney’s Office as part of the latest settlement has yet to be determined, Jones said.