Hancock County has received $1.6 million in Opioid Prevention Funding. The money was received after the County joined in a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical companies who had targeted West Virginia as market to distribute opioids while not making physicians and pharmacists fully aware of their addictive potential.
At a work session called for 7:30 a.m. Monday, the Commissioners agreed the funds were much needed, but deviated on where they should be distributed. The Commission had initially called for applications for those seeking those funds and received four applications for funding. The deadline for applications has now been extended to Dec, 11,
With the County experiencing a budget deficit due to the reduction of Racetrack Video Lottery Revenue, Commissioners looked at areas which had been reduced such as the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioner Tommy Ogden proposed dedicating a portion of the funds to pay down the Regional Jail Bill which currently is $722,778 which would leave $880,000 to disperse among other projects. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, volunteer fire departments and the emergency services departments were mentioned as fitting the criteria and in need of funding.
“Opioid addiction has affected all our residents either directly or indirectly, including the commission budget. We must ensure our people on the front lines, the Sheriff’s Department, our volunteer fire departments and our emergency services director and his department, are fully funded and staffed to combat this crises for our safety and theirs. The language of the opioid fund absolutely allows for the county to pay the jail bill and other opioid related expenses out of that fund,” said Commissioner Ogden. ” I think we should pay 700 or 800 thousand of county expenses out of the opioid fund, and then to keep that money to help offset any possible future reductions and bridge the financial gap between possible near term budget reductions and fiscal year end 28 which we believe will see county revenue increase. That would still leave $ 800,000 in the opioid fund, which will allow us to help many, many deserving programs but also keep a large chunk to help provide services and safety to all residents of Hancock County.”
