December 5, 2023 - Caitlin Steel, York County Planning Commission Grant Management Specialist stated that York County received the first stage of a $21 million settlement from 4 major pharmaceutical companies. The payout will be over the next 18 years as result of a national lawsuit. York joined a lawsuit with the state Attorney General's office against Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, the largest pharmaceutical distributors in the nation, for their role in the opioid crisis. The county will also benefit from another settlement with Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures opioids. The three pharmaceutical companies are contributing $21 billion while Johnson & Johnson is contributing $5 billion to the national lawsuits settlements. Pennsylvania is receiving more than $1 billion from the settlement, with $232 million in the first year. The York County Commissioners and the York County Planning Commission has accepted applications from interested organizations and agencies for innovative and strategic programs related to the Opioid epidemic in York County. Applications were reviewed by the appointed Opioid Advisory Board (OAB). Through allocation of these settlement funds, they strive to: Maximize the impact of current opioid-related initiatives, protect life and improve the quality of life for our community members. Here are some of the key organizations that received funding: York Opioid Collaborative, York/Adams Drug and Alcohol, Byrnes Health Education, York County prison, Wellspan recovery services and several more. We know no dollar amount will bring back all that we have lost, but this settlement will give communities the money to save lives now.
