The members have been named to a committee that will advise the Gasconade County Commission on the distribution of funds received by the county through the settlement of lawsuits aimed at manufacturers and distributors of opioid medications.

The seven members of the Gasconade County Opioid Settlement Committee formally were announced during Thursday morning’s session of the County Commission in Owensville City Hall. The panel could meet for the first time tomorrow morning (Thursday) during this week’s Commission session at the courthouse.

Receiving appointments to the advisory panel are Karen Arnold and Dr. Jari Kay Hardy of Owensville; Alyssa Creech and Mike Mueller of Hermann; and Kenna Fricke, Jennifer Schneider and Roger Armstrong as at-large county members.

The county’s settlement distribution program — which is estimated to amount to about $128,000 by the end of the 18-year payout schedule — is being administered by Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC). It will be handled much the same way the county’s CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding was administered. MRPC will be responsible for vetting applications for shares of the opioid money and the planning agency will handle the necessary paperwork for the county regarding audits.

While these seven panel members will be meeting to make recommendations to county administrators, other individuals and organizations involved in dealing with treatment of addictions are expected to offer input into how the settlement funding might be used.

Members of the advisory group represent law enforcement, emergency medical services, public health and public education. When the effort at distributing the funding began more than a year ago under Prosecuting Attorney Mary E. Weston, one of the focuses of the program was to be an awareness and education campaign in the high schools. Public education is represented by Hardy, the Gasconade County R-2 superintendent, and Creech, the Hermann High School counselor.

Fricke is the administrator of the Gasconade County Health Department and Mueller is chief of the Hermann Area Ambulance District. Armstrong is the chief deputy of the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department. Schneider is the county’s circuit clerk and recorder of deeds.

Addiction to opioid medications remains a critical issue throughout the country. The problem was pushed from the forefront in 2019 by the coronavirus pandemic, especially as the various lawsuits were put on hold during the height of the pandemic, which resulted in the closing of courts for months. As the pandemic eased and court action resumed, the settlements were reached with the manufacturers and distributors of opioid-based drugs.

Gasconade County was among the many counties to join the class-action lawsuit, seeking to obtain a share of the funds for financing the local effort in dealing with opioid addiction. However, because of the number of local governments scheduled to receive a share of the settlement money, there won’t be a substantial amount for some of them. Gasconade County now has about $62,000 in hand with about that much more to be received through the next 15 or 16 years of the settlement payment program, according to the estimate offered by MRPC.