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St. Louis County has several openings for community members to serve on its Opioid Remediation Advisory Committee. This is the group tasked with making recommendations on how the county can best invest the funds it received following the national settlement of a class action lawsuit involving several prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors.
Ideal candidates include those with professional and/or lived experience relating to opioids including physicians, pharmacists, families impacted by the opioid epidemic, organizations working in peer support and prevention efforts and the provider community. The Opioid Remediation Advisory Committee also includes two County Commissioners, the Sheriff, County Attorney and leadership from Public Health and Human Services.
The advisory committee continues to offer guidance on use of the settlement funds across broad categories including prevention, criminal justice, treatment and recovery, and harm reduction. The committee has recommended investing in the community through issuing three rounds of funding so far, with the focuses being harm reduction, criminal justice, and upstream prevention.
“This committee has worked diligently to provide great recommendations for use of funds, and we know they will continue to provide sound guidance that positively impacts the communities in St. Louis County,” said County Board Chair Annie Harala. “We need to continue being strategic in determining the best ways to invest these funds to help those who have been so devastated by opioids.”
As a result of the national class action settlement, the State of Minnesota is estimated to receive $300 million over an 18-year time frame. Of that, St. Louis County will be receiving the fifth largest local share. St. Louis County established its advisory committee in early 2022 to determine how to prioritize use of these funds for most meaningful long-term impact,
Citizens willing to serve on the advisory committee should fill out an application, which can be found online at www.stlouiscountymn.gov/clerk and clicking on the link to Citizen Advisory Committee. People may request a printed application by calling County Board Clerk Phil Chapman at 218-726-2385. The application deadline is February 28.
The Advisory Committee meets virtually during evening hours.
Please contact Jana Blomberg, blombergj@stlouiscountymn.gov, for questions.
