County Accepting Applications For Opioid Remediation Projects

Crawford County’s Opioid Fund Disbursement Board is accepting applications from businesses and not-for-profit organizations for opioid remediation projects.

The first deadline was Monday, but the board will accept applications for each quarterly board meeting.

The second deadline is Aug. 20, which will be for the Sept. 3 meeting; Nov. 19 for the Dec. 3 meeting and Feb. 18, 2025 for the March 4, 2025 meeting.

A five-member board was established by the county to assist with disbursement.

The board is chaired by William Harlan, vice chair Mike Lovell, secretary Denise Mueller, commission liaison Richard “Jax” Jensen and Dennis Roedemeier.

The Meramec Regional Planning Commission has assisted the board in setting its priorities. MRPC also will ensure each project selected by the board is eligible for expenditures under opioid settlements.

In a press release, MRPC said the board has been meeting for months and has completed a strategic planning session to consider what resources the county has to address opioid-use disorder and what resources are needed to set its priorities for funding.

The projects should focus on treatment, prevention or other opioid reduction strategies, according to MRPC.

Crawford County has given preference to projects that address the areas of transportation, child and family support services, housing, prevention education, re-entry service, support groups, law enforcement and first responders.

The Missouri legislature established the Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Fund in 2020 to receive settlement payments.

The national opioid settlement was reached in 2021 as part of litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest pharmaceutical distributors. 

The distributors will pay out $21 billion over 18 years.

Johnson & Johnson owes an additional $5 billion over no more than nine years.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported earlier this year that 68 percent of local governments (99 out of 146) did not spend any opioid settlement funds during 2023.

Many local governments, according to the report, spent 2023 planning how to budget, track and allocate these funds.

There are 93 counties, 50 cities and three political subdivisions receiving settlement funds.

Those interested in applying can receive an application by contacting the Crawford County Opioid Fund Disbursement Board Chairperson William Harlan at williamharlan99@gmail.com or Secretary Denise Mueller at dmuel747@gmail.com. The application will be made available online in the near future. The Crawford County Opioid Fund Disbursement Board will collect all proposals, score applications and make recommendation of funding approval or denial. The Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) will review projects selected by the committee for completeness and ensure that activities proposed are eligible under Exhibit E/Schedule B – Approved Uses for Opioid Remediation. MRPC will submit all committee-selected projects and committee funding recommendations to the Crawford County Commission, along with its administrative review information, for the county to make funding decisions and disburse funds. The Crawford County Commission, who is the recipient of the funds, will make final determination on approval and disbursement.