Westmoreland County has signed on to the settlement of a federal lawsuit with the makers of Oxycontin.
The $7 billion overall resolution to the litigation filed against Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, was approved earlier this year. It is expected to result in $200 million earmarked for Pennsylvania, with about 70% of those funds diverted to county governments.
Officials said it is still to be determined how much money the Purdue settlement will net Westmoreland County. The county has been party to a number of federal lawsuits filed against drug makers and distributors blamed for opioid addiction and overdose deaths that plagued the country in recent years.
Westmoreland is slated to receive up $30 million in various settlements previously approved. Those funds are used to pay for programs that address drug recovery, treatment and education.
A study released during the height of the epidemic in 2017 by Westmoreland Controller Jeff Balzer said about $19 million was spent annually as a result of opioid addictions and overdoses through the impact on the criminal justice system, correctional costs and other county social service programs.
