Jackson County Sheriff's Department Receive Funds From National Prescription Opiate Litigation Settlement

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024 -- 8:01 AM

Twelve Tribal nations, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies have received grants from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) for projects to prevent and reduce the dangers of opioid use.

The projects include community drug disposal systems; programs that keep people with an opioid use disorder out of jail; education and training for staff on the medications for opioid use disorder, including how the medications are used as part of a treatment program; and treatment for jail residents with an opioid use disorder.

This grant program is part of the DHS plan to use the state's share of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers negotiated in part by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Wisconsin is due to receive more than $750 million through 2038, with 30 percent of the funds to be used for state government projects managed by DHS with approval of the legislature's Joint Committee on Finance.

The remainder of the funds are for local needs as identified by the county and municipal governments that participated in the litigation. Three million dollars of the $31 million received by DHS in 2022 was set aside for law enforcement agencies.

All Wisconsin law enforcement agencies were invited to apply for funding. Six communities shared about $1.1 million of this funding last fall. Today's announcement of nearly $1.9 million in grants completes the distribution of these funds.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received $425,352 to educate and train staff on the medications for opioid use disorder, including how the medications are used as part of a treatment program, to keep people with an opioid use disorder out of jail, and to treat jail residents with an opioid use disorder.

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