Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council is making the first payments from opioid-lawsuit settlements to counties totaling more than $31.4 million, and Franklin County is on tap to receive $193,718.11, according to a state-issued press release.

The state began processing the direct payments from the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund to county governments last week.

In addition to Franklin County, its neighboring counties are also receiving settlement money, including Coffee, $292,030.12; Lincoln, $145,529.49; Moore, $29,878.28; and Grundy, $84,137.96.

In accordance with terms of the distributor and Janssen/J&J settlement agreements negotiated by the Tennessee attorney general, 35 percent of proceeds went directly to county governments so that local leaders could direct spending on programs to address the effects of opioids on their citizens and communities.

Approved uses include a continuum of opioid-use-disorder treatment programs, medication-assisted treatment, recovery support and prevention measures.

Dr. Stephen Loyd, MD, Opioid Abatement Council chairman, provided his outlook.

“There isn’t a county in Tennessee that hasn’t been touched by the opioid crisis,” he said. “The funding going to these counties will have an immediate and much-needed impact. We are excited to get this funding out to all 95 counties of our great state, and we can’t wait to see how local leaders put it to good use.”

The remaining 65 percent of settlement dollars will be distributed through a competitive grant-application process to be established by the Opioid Abatement Council. The processes for applying for funding and scoring applications are on the agenda for the council’s next meeting.

The first payments to come from the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund mark a milestone in the state’s work to address the effects of the opioid crisis. Payments from these settlements, while not as large as this initial payment, will continue annually for 18 years.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said the settlement money will be put to good use to offset the impacts of the opioid crisis.

“While no amount of money will be enough to completely heal broken communities, funds distributed through the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund will provide further resources toward recovery and assist in bringing this epidemic to a halt,” he said. “The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office will not let up on holding opioid manufacturers and distributors accountable.”

Marie Williams, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services commissioner, echoed Skrmetti’s assessment.

“Our hope for these dollars and all the funding that will flow from the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund for years to come is that Tennessee communities begin to repair the damage that has happened and is still happening due to opioid addiction and that people are able to find new lives in recovery and achieve their full potential,” she said. “We are so grateful to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, former Attorney General Herbert Slatery and the tireless team at the office of the attorney general because we know their efforts on this essential issue will help define how our state recovers from the opioid crisis.”

Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in Public Chapter 491 to manage the disbursement of proceeds from lawsuits relating to opioids.

The council upholds the responsibility to ensure the disbursements of these funds go toward funding programs, strategies, expenditures and other actions designed to prevent and address the misuse and abuse of opioid products and treat or mitigate opioid use or related disorders and other effects of the opioid epidemic.