WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A drug treatment program in Luzerne County is getting a big boost. The County Council is taking action to make sure treatment is there to help people battling addiction.
This money, $267,000, is coming from a larger settlement the county received to battle opioid abuse.
The vote was unanimous.
Council Chairman John Lombardo says the vote came after the department approached the council to supplement a lack of funding from the state this year.
The funds the county provided come from a $1,700,000 sum, distributed to Luzerne County in late 2023.
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These funds are part of a more than one billion dollar settlement between the state and opioid manufacturers, set to be paid out over an 18-year period starting in 2023. $30,000,000 of this money was allocated to Luzerne County alone, and so far, has mostly been used for outpatient treatment.
"Keeping people from dying, treatment, that's priority number one, but our next priority is obviously prevention so anything we can do to educate young people about the effects of opiates and keep them out of their reach, those are projects that we've been entertaining," Lombardo explained.
County officials added that the commission has received more applications for a chunk of the $1,700,000 in funds.
They'll review those applications and pass them along to the council.
