Montana News
Opioid settlement funds approved for two Lake County addiction programs
With Montana News, I'm Eleanor Smith. Montana's share of the 26 billion national opioid settlement with Johnson & Johnson and its distributors is starting to float to communities. Montana Public Radio's Aaron Bolton reports on the first grants to be approved in the state. - Montana will receive $75 million over 18 years as part of the national settlement. The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust has been receiving payments for over a year. It currently has $25 million, but that money has been untouched until now. Groups of counties and individual counties with larger populations have begun submitting grant applications nearly 40 so far. The first two grants approved will serve Lake County. One program pairs adults with children experiencing trauma that can make them prone to substance use later in life. The adults work with kids one-on-one over several years in school, the community, and at home. The program will receive $180,000. Another $78,000 grant will fund a peer support program that helps people struggling with addiction and homelessness. In Columbia Falls, I'm Aaron Bolton.