More opioid settlement money headed Burke's way

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced a $1.37 billion settlement last week with Kroger in the ongoing string of opioid lawsuits, and more than $700,000 is headed Burke County’s way.

Under the settlement agreement, the grocery chain — which owns Harris Teeter in North Carolina — and its pharmacies have agreed to pay the state $40 million for opioid abatement, Stein’s office said. Payments are expected to begin early next year, and Burke is scheduled to get $713,209.85.

In all, the county will collect $25.2 million between now and 2038, to be used in the fight against opioid addiction.

To keep track of Burke County’s opioid settlement funds and how the money is being spent, visit ncopioidsettlement.org/data-dashboards/local-view/ and select Burke County in the drop-down menu.

Stein led the settlement negotiations along with the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, and Virginia.

“He (Stein) has done a fantastic job,” said Burke County Director of Public Health Danny Scalise. “I’ve talked to people across the country through different things that I’m involved with, and North Carolina is the envy of the country when it comes to opioid settlements.”

Stein has helped secure $1.4 billion in settlements for the state.

Local governments will receive $1.2 billion of that total, thanks in large part to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners’ 5-5-5 Committee, of which Burke County Commissioner Johnnie Carswell was a member. The committee advocated for sending the lion’s share of settlement money to local governments instead of the state.

“Working to hold accountable the companies that created and fueled the opioid crisis in North Carolina has been a top priority,” said Stein, the governor-elect. “And we are winning. These funds will help people stay alive, get treatment, and begin recovery. We are also forcing these companies to change their behavior so more people don’t get addicted to these deadly drugs.”

Burke County has been deliberate about the way it spends settlement dollars. Dr. Katie Varnadoe, director of Behavioral Health, is working with Community Education Group (CEG), a nationally known, program-development group, to formulate a strategic plan.

“I really want to see us get into phase two and see the direct impacts of this work,” Varnadoe said in late September. “We’ve done a lot of our due diligence, and you want to see results. But being good stewards of the opioid settlement money means being intentional about how it is used. Being intentional will help us in the long run.”

Varnadoe said the plan should be finalized by the time the Burke County Commissioners meet for their annual budget retreat early next March.