Northhampton News

Following the approval of a statewide $1 billion settlement with opioid producers and manufacturers earlier this year, Bucks County Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie announced the implementation of the Chairman’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to help decide how to use the funds properly.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro negotiated a settlement with distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, along with manufacturer Johnson and Johnson; a recent Bucks County press release said. Bucks County is expected to receive approximately $44 million over 18 years, with the first allocation to be in June. Funds need to be used in ways to remediate the opioid epidemic. The release noted that this could serve as a blueprint for settlements in the future.

“The opioid epidemic which has affected so many lives in our county and our country is not over, and the process of holding accountable the people and companies responsible for unleashing this man-made plague is not over either,” Harvie said in the release. “The settlement agreed upon by almost half the states in this nation will help Bucks County address the epidemic in our communities.”   

The committee is made up of members from different geographic areas with a variety of backgrounds. These include human services, substance abuse prevention and public safety, and those with work experience in affected groups such as veterans.

Chairing the committee is Diana Rosati, who serves as the executive director of the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission, the release said. Also on the board are Director of Human Services of Bucks County Rachael Neff; Bucks County Director of Veterans Affairs Timothy Wynn; No Longer Bound Prevention Specialist Alana Hardison; Penn Foundation Community Outreach Specialist Ryan Schweiger; Bensalem Township Director of Public Safety William McVey and Emilie House Founder Micki Kaisinger.

The committee will review and make recommendations about applications for funding, gather input from the public and make recommendations to the chair. Harvie noted that he is grateful for the committee members’ devotion of their time, energy and expertise to make sure the funds are used to the best they can be.

“Each of the seven members possess experiences and knowledge which makes them valuable to the committee, but most of all, they each have shown, in their personal and professional lives, an extraordinary dedication to serve our neighbors and communities,” Harvie said in the release.