Advisory group to help distribute settlement funds

Otter Tail County invites community members and stakeholders to apply to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Council. The advisory council is a multi-sector group that will advise the Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners on how to spend the opioid settlement funds awarded. In August 2021, the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General joined a $26 billion multi-state settlement agreement involving opioid distributors and manufacturers. Counties and cities will receive a portion of this funding over 18 years.

Advisory  council responsibilities include:

• Supporting the process and implementation of a community assessment.

• Supporting Otter Tail County in identifying areas of strength and needs related to opioids and substance use.

• Having a baseline understanding of the current substance use environment and data trends in Otter Tail County.

• Using the assessment and data to make recommendations about leveraging and disbursing funds received by Otter Tail County.

• Providing feedback and insight at advisory council meetings.

The advisory council will meet every one to two months. The first meeting of the advisory council will be on August 30.

Those interested should apply on the Otter Tail County Opioid Settlement Funds webpage at bit.ly/OTCOpioidSettlementFunds. Individuals who have any questions about this application, need help filling it out, or have questions related to the advisory council are asked to contact Otter Tail County Public Health at www.publichealth@co.ottertail.mn.us or call (218) 998-8320.

Funding amounts can be found on the Attorney General’s website under Distributions of Opioid Settlement Funds by Subdivision. 

More information about the settlements can be found on the Attorney General’s website under Fighting the Opioid Epidemic in Minnesota.