As Summit County continues its fight against the opioid epidemic, new funding is on the way that could help save thousands of lives and prevent families from being torn apart.
The Summit County Executive’s Office is establishing the Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund, a fund that will “benefit the long-term health and safety of Summit County residents,” officials announced this week.
Led by the Akron Community Foundation, the fund will receive an initial contribution of $45 million from Summit County’s opioid litigation settlement funds.
Summit County Council approved the funding this week.
“When we filed our lawsuits in 2017, we never expected to receive a single cent. We did this to send a message to the opioid manufacturers and distributors who are wreaking havoc in our community and so many others,” County Executive Ilene Shapiro said in a news release. in arguing our case resulted in a significant financial settlement. Since then, we have been diligent in funding needed programming and grassroots organizations.”
Shapiro said she hopes the fund, which she first announced during her annual State of the County address in October, not only improves health and safety outcomes but also attracts future funding and partners for projects that benefit county residents. benefit the province.
The fund will exist at the Akron Community Foundation, but will reportedly operate as its own nonprofit in Ohio, with its own Board of Directors charged with managing the organization.
The Board of Directors will consist of 13 members, seven of whom will be appointed by the Akron Community Foundation and six by the county.
“We are so pleased that Summit County and County Executive Ilene Shapiro had the vision to create this historic support organization that will preserve and grow the value of this investment for the community today and for generations to come,” John T. Petures Jr., president and CEO of the Akron Community Foundation, said in the statement.
Executive Shapiro noted that the fund is expected to be formally established early next year.
How did Summit County get millions of dollars in opioid settlement money?
In October 2019, Summit and Cuyahoga counties reached in-principle settlement agreements with drug manufacturer Teva Pharmaceutical and drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corp.
Summit and Cuyahoga counties received $215 million in cash, split 38% and 62%, respectively.
What we know about the opioid epidemic in Summit County
During the height of the opioid epidemic in Summit County in 2016, 307 people died from drug overdoses, according to Summit County Public Health. The number of people dying from overdoses has fallen, with overdose deaths at around 200 since 2020. In 2023, 213 people died from drug overdoses.
According to Summit County Public Health, participating Summit County resident emergency departments treated an estimated 392 drug overdoses from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. However, the Ministry of Health says this is most likely an underestimate.
In November 2022, one of Summit County’s major hospital systems was removed from EpiCenter surveillance reporting by the Ohio Department of Health due to changes in its computer system and due to upgrades and coding changes made nationally to the standard disease classification system. The facilities missing in 2023 accounted for 54% of all overdoses in 2022. If that same percentage were true for 2023, there could have been as many as 730 additional overdoses, or an estimated total of 1,124, according to the county department.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared in Akron Beacon Journal: New Summit Health and Safety Innovation Fund to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
