Monroe County will receive an estimated $5 million of settlement funds paid out by major pharmaceutical manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, Walmart and CVS through 2038.
The settlements are meant to “hold the manufacturers and distributors accountable,” according to the Indiana Attorney General website. The website also states opioid prescription rates peaked in 2012 with an average of 112 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents in Indiana.
According to Resolution 2024-21 from the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, applicants for settlement funding must be either nonprofit organizations registered as a 501(c)(3), a county department combating substance use or a certified addiction peer recovery coach who desires funding for training and testing.
Mark DeLong is the executive director of Amethyst House, a residential and outpatient agency for people with drug and alcohol addictions. He said the money the facility receives from the settlement will go toward covering the cost of treatment for residents in the third month of their treatment.
According to Amethyst House’s website, Medicaid and other outside funding sources typically cover the first one or two months of treatment. DeLong said the third is generally covered by residents. Along with this, some of the funding will help pay for overnight technicians at the facility.
“The biggest issue for our folks, though, is when they get our treatment, they're trying to find housing somewhere and they're trying to save their money for that,” DeLong said.
Having the third month covered will help residents struggling to pay bills from Amethyst House, DeLong said.
DeLong also said his biggest concern is that Medicaid will be “slashed” in Indiana. Amethyst House is “vulnerable,” he said, and most of its residents are on HIP Medicaid. In January, Sen. Ryan Mishler proposed Senate Bill 2. This bill would limit HIP enrollment and could put over 100,000 people on a waitlist.
To be considered for funding, applicants must delineate a budget that includes a timeline and summarize how the project will address substance use disorder. The maximum amount that an applicant could receive per application is $200,000.
Executive director of Indiana Recovery Alliance Nicholas Voyles said he thinks every cent of the settlement funds should belong to either harm reduction or people in recovery.
Along with this, Voyles said the money will mean the Indiana Recovery Alliance can provide the best services it can and “save more lives.” The Indiana Recovery Alliance is an advocacy group that focuses on harm reduction services.
Applications are reviewed quarterly by the Monroe County Opioid Settlement Application Review Board which “determines recommendations for applications received,” Monroe County auditor Brianne Gregory wrote to the IDS.
“If we keep going like this, and we keep getting funded like this, we can make real changes,” Voyles said.
According to Voyles, the process of receiving money from the settlement made him feel like the county cared about him and people dealing with substance use issues. DeLong echoed that sentiment. He said Amethyst House is grateful for the county and is “lucky they care” about them.
The most recent round of fund dispersal was approved by Resolution 2024-40 for the first and second quarters of 2024 totaling over $1 million to 10 different organizations. These organizations include:
- Amethyst House for residential treatment program support
- Avalon Community Land Trust for recovery housing
- Beacon, Inc. for the future Beacon Center, a homeless shelter
- Bloomington Cooperative Living, a nonprofit for low-income housing
- Courage to Change Sober Living INC for sober living houses
- Indiana Recovery Alliance for its pathways to recovery and harm reduction
- New Leaf, New Life for their Heading Home, Peer Recovery Coaching and Making an Impact initiatives
- South Central Community Action Program for strengthening family coping resources
- Courage to Change Sober Living for house and case manager salaries
- The Monroe County Circuit Court for its probation department
The county’s probation department has an alcohol and drug program and a substance abuse education program. According to the program’s website, all adult probation officers have either a certification as a substance abuse professional or a Certified Substance Abuse Management Specialist credential.
After reviewing applications, the committee votes on the appropriation of funds and moves on with the approval process. When the county council and commissioners approve the application, the awarded funds will be available to recipients for two years.
The county stopped accepting applications Dec. 31 for quarter three of 2024. Applications for quarter one of 2025 will be accepted until March 31.
