County opts into opioid settlement

Wyman given lion’s share of credit for bringing $5 million to community

In 2017, Howard County was in the grip of an overdose epidemic. Record numbers of citizens were dying as a result of opioid misuse, and no end was in sight. It was that year that local leaders formed an opioid summit to find solutions.

Those solutions are coming to fruition. This week, Howard County opted back into a $504 million settlement against the manufacturers of prescription opioids, and by April the first payments in a $5 million agreement will be made. The full settlement will be paid over 18 years.

Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman speaks to the Howard County Council on March 22.

According to Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman, the local community was at the forefront of the fight, and it now will reap the rewards. Wyman spoke to the board of commissioners and the Howard County Council this week on the matter.

“We joined forces with other communities and pursued the companies to recover some dollars to help the individuals and families that were suffering,” said Wyman. “Our team in Indiana got out ahead of it and joined with other states, and it became a national effort.”