COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio communities will soon begin seeing the benefits of a multi-million-dollar settlement with drug companies for their role in the opioid epidemic that gripped both the state and the nation.
Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday announced the first round of payments to county and municipal governments, which total more than $8.6 million to start. The payments are part of an overall $808 million settlement reached with Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen late last year, and local officials will receive the cash in separate installments through the year 2040.
"Ohio's families and communities have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic," DeWine, who first filed the lawsuit in 2017 during his tenure as attorney general, said in a statement. "While nothing can make whole the losses sustained by Ohioans who have been affected by opioids, it is welcome news that the first payments are going out this week to local governments."
The suit accused multiple companies—specifically Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen—of knowingly flooding communities with prescription opioid medications that later led to higher rates of addition and overdose deaths. While the trio did not officially admit wrongdoing in the settlement, it marked a massive blow in the court of public opinion, and followed an earlier $26 billion federal agreement made along with Johnson & Johnson last July.
As part of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, the state has been split up into 19 distinct regions for receiving payments, with Cuyahoga, Stark, and Summit counties among those designated as separate entities. Local leaders will be able to decide how best to use the money in regards to fighting the opioid epidemic.
Northeast Ohio alone received millions of dollars in this initial round of distribution. The payments for the region shake out as follows, distinguishing between counties and municipalities:
Ashland County: $17.841.29
- Ashland: $5,859.23
- Loudonville: $552.78
Ashtabula County: $64,339.81
- Ashtabula: $8,046.54
- Conneaut: $4,328.69
- Ashtabula Township: $1,510.88
- Saybrook Township: $1,399.27
- Geneva-On-The-Lake: $449.51
- Jefferson: $341.95
Carroll County: $11,239.08
- Carrollton: $530.04
Cuyahoga County: $758.05 (aggregated share only)
- Cleveland: $155,619.43
- Parma: $13,336.30
- Shaker Heights:$9,060.80
- Lakewood: $8,712.51
- Euclid: $8,096.16
- Cleveland Heights: $7,444.64
- Strongsville: $6,390.20
- Solon: $4,975.16
- Beachwood: $4,953.99
- East Cleveland: $4,823.21
- Garfield Heights: $4,428.82
- Rocky River: $4,352.67
- North Royalton: $4,237.94
- Westlake: $4,067.54
- Mayfield Heights: $3,976.37
- Bedford: $3,714.47
- South Euclid: $3,597.00
- North Olmsted: $3,455.98
- Maple Heights: $3,417.05
- Brook Park: $3,366.86
- Bedford Heights: $3,341.93
- Middleburg Heights: $3,260.32
- Warrensville Heights: $3,121.34
- Lyndhurst: $2,927.73
- Parma Heights: $2,818.46
- Independence: $2,692.80
- University Heights: $2,652.51
- Bay Village: $2,550.41
- Berea: $2,535.73
- Brecksville: $2,082.94
- Broadview Heights: $1,960.02
- Fairview Park: $1,892.41
- Richmond Heights: $1,889.67
- Brooklyn: $1,835.72
- Seven Hills: $1,802.26
- Cuyahoga Heights: $1,674.89
- Oakwood: $1,386.35
- Valley View: $1,372.69
- Olmsted Township: $1,280.50
- Chagrin Falls: $1,081.76
- Olmsted Falls: $1,005.28
- Brooklyn Heights: $872.10
- Gates Mills: $568.54
- Newburgh Heights: $369.81
Erie County: $39,510.75
- Sandusky: $10,901.04
- Perkins Township: $4,425.60
- Huron: $2,616.39
- Milan: $352.79
Geauga County: $35,234.46
- Chardon: $4,143.24
- Bainbridge Township: $3,512.11
- Chester Township: $2,184.53
- Russell Township: $1,605.51
- Middlefield: $956.19
- South Russell: $581.49
- Hambden Township: $340.79
Holmes County: $11,555.24
Huron County: $31,712.02
- Norwalk: $5,807.13
- Willard: $2,925.51
- Plymouth: $562.28
- Monroeville: $497.08
Lake County: $111,181.35
- Mentor: $21,565.18
- Willoughby: $11,722.40
- Painesville: $7,161.37
- Eastlake: $6,056.53
- Wickliffe: $4,694.53
- Willowick: $4,669.14
- Willoughby Hills: $4,566.76
- Painesville Township: $2,888.63
- Concord Township: $2,844.40
- Kirtland: $1,935.31
- Mentor-On-The-Lake: $1,693.70
- Madison Township: $1,603.61
- Kirtland Hills: $837.02
- Fairport Harbor: $787.06
- Leroy Township: $464.37
- Perry: $469.29
- Grand River: $384.11
Lorain County: $115,627.38
- Lorain: $24,486.01
- Elyria: $22,800.07
- North Ridgeville: $9,504.52
- Avon: $6,306.89
- Avon Lake: $5,731.16
- Oberlin: $4,522.47
- Vermilion: $3,735.23
- Sheffield Village: $3,313.79
- Wellington: $1,425.85
- Sheffield Lake: $978.90
- LaGrange: $468.83
Mahoning County: $138,573.33
- Youngstown: $49,710.42
- Boardman: $12,174.38
- Austintown: $7,692.33
- Salem: $3,310.88
- Struthers: $2,183.70
- Campbell: $1,787.73
- Poland Township: $1,281.35
- Sebring: $680.48
- Poland Village: $532.92
- Jackson Township: $509.57
- Coitsville Township: $415.08
- Lowellville: $345.02
- Beloit: $324.85
Medina County: $68,912.97
- Brunswick: $10,348.58
- Medina: $7,354.23
- Wadsworth: $6,576.55
- Montville Township: $1,753.34
- Brunswick Hills: $1,733.95
- Medina Township: $1,562.49
- Hinckley Township: $1,428.80
- Lafayette Township: $637.86
- Lodi: $594.99
- Harrisville Township: $580.70
- Guilford Township: $523.55
- Sharon Township: $502.12
- Seville: $478.65
- Liverpool Township: $468.44
Portage County: $81,102.16
- Kent: $4,436.04
- Aurora: $2,545.41
- Ravenna: $1,888.87
- Streetsboro: $1,780.74
- Brimfield Township: $967.61
- Ravenna Township: $515.40
- Garrettsville: $353.99
Richland County: $64,570.75
- Mansfield: $18,498.35
- Galion: $3,803.10
- Shelby: $2,605.06
- Springfield Township: $1,531.12
- Crestline: $1,438.98
- Madison Township: $1,403.91
Stark County: $133,224.80
- Canton: $42,400.66
- Jackson Township: $11,856.31
- Massillon: $10,327.13
- Alliance: $7,687.37
- Perry Township: $4,644.00
- North Canton: $4,536.24
- Plain Township: $4,010.26
- Lake Township: $3,174.68
- Canton Township: $2,059.44
- Louisville: $1,470.17
- Lawrence Township: $1,214.45
- Nimishillen Township: $1,059.65
- Minerva: $1,021.67
- Hartville: $856.10
- Brewster: $508.87
Summit County: $129.94 (aggregate payment only)
- Akron: $76,157.92
- Cuyahoga Falls: $15,657.40
- Stow: $12,755.32
- Barberton: $10,061.48
- Green: $7,325.17
- Twinsburg: $7,203.55
- Fairlawn: $5,836.64
- Hudson: $5,705.87
- Copley Township: $5,573.42
- Tallmadge: $5,019.00
- Macedonia: $4,554.70
- Springfield Township: $4,059.08
- Richfield: $3,456.01
- Norton: $3,235.46
- New Franklin: $2,539.74
- Sagamore Hills: $1,954.99
- Northfield: $1,770.90
- Reminderville: $1,308.60
- Munroe Falls: $1,251.13
- Coventry Township: $973.75
- Mogadore: $930.08
- Silver Lake: $753.01
- Lakemore: $722.19
- Boston Heights: $667.21
- Peninsula: $435.65
Trumbull County: $175,006.41
- Warren: $30,422.96
- Girard: $6,041.56
- Liberty Township: $5,954.62
- Howland Township: $4,344.03
- Newton Falls: $3,154.87
- Cortland: $3,022.26
- Hubbard: $2,500.62
- Champion Township: $2,451.99
- Weathersfield Township: $2,160.23
- Lordstown: $1,797.73
- Hubbard Township: $1,323.25
- McDonald: $741.20
- Fowler Township: $411.12
- Vienna Township: $363.97
- Braceville Township: $325.66
Tuscarawas County: $32,432.02
- New Philadelphia: $6,696.07
- Dover: $3,601.38
- Uhrichsville: $879.69
- Newcomerstown: $663.39
- Dennison: $540.76
Wayne County: $20,035.51
- Wooster: $34,970.82
- Orrville: $774.49
- Rittman: $515.52