Carbon County has been planning on how to use its portion of money from an opioid settlement several years ago.

Officials have partnered with neighboring Monroe and Pike counties, chipping in approximately $200,000 for a fentanyl awareness campaign that motorists can see along many well-traveled routes throughout the county.

But the board said Thursday that there are still more questions than answers on how counties can use the money, since the settlement outline is vague. Education is a definite use, but there are gaps on what is acceptable.

One thing that is for sure, the board said, is that the money has to be used to help combat the opiate problem, but raised concerns that in 10 years from now, when the county is still receiving funds from the settlement, will opioids be the main drug of choice in Carbon?

Commissioners’ Chairman Michael Sofranko said that is “has been a task” trying to figure out options that the money could be used for.

He said that during the meeting with the counties, the board got some ideas that they are checking into as possible options.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said that so far, the counties all have had very limited options due to the strict rules.

Some tried to use it for other purposes other than opiate related and could face potentially having to pay back that money.

“That’s why we’ve been so cautious on where we put the money because we certainly don’t want to spend $100,000 or $200,000 in doing one program and then find out it is not eligible,” Ahner said. “But I think the restrictions are too harsh.”

County Solicitor Robert Frycklund said Carbon is waiting before moving forward because of all the questions.

Commissioner Wayne Nothstein pointed out that transportation is a major issue in Carbon, which prevents people from getting all the help that may be available to them.

The board said that they would love to be able to use it on a facility that would bring a wealth of services under one roof, from drug and alcohol to mental health support but are not sure if it is possible. They would also love to be able to utilize it to support the county drug court, but since not all participants used opioids as their drug of choice, they couldn’t use it on that.

Sofranko summed it up as the main crux for counties is under the stipulations, “the money that’s used has to be used on opioid. It’s got to be 100%. ... That’s where the fine line is. Is there a little bit of margin of percentages?”

Ahner said that while this money is a good thing for the counties to fight the opiate crisis, he questioned if in 10 years from now, what will Carbon County see as the drug of choice and how will that affect using the money that is coming from the settlement?

“I wish they would it open like separate drug and alcohol court and treatment that we can use it at our discretion, but that’s not the issue,” he said.

“We’re trying to carve out those or pick out those cases that are opioid related so that we can pay back to the court system for those particular cases,” Nothstein added.

In 2021, Carbon County was notified that it will receive more than $4.5 million over the next 18 years as part of the statewide opioid settlement.

The $26 billion national settlement called for Cardinal, McKesson, and Amerisource Bergen, the top three pharmaceutical distributors and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and delivered opioids, to pay up to $21 billion over 18 years. Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $5 billion.

Pennsylvania receives approximately $1 billion, which is being distributed to counties and other entities involved.

Under the terms of the settlement, counties can use the funds for opioid abatement programs such as purchasing naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, assist medication-assisted treatment distribution or other opioid-related treatment, expand screening for pregnant and postpartum women who are uninsured or non-Medicaid eligible, expand the treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome and warm handoff programs and recovery services, enhancing treatments for opioid use disorder, connect people who need help to resources they need, address the needs of criminal justice-involved individuals, prevent overprescribing and dispensing of opioids.