NY Attorney General jAMES Delivers $19.5 Million to Monroe County
Attorney General Letitia James delivered up to $19.5 million to Monroe County at a press conference last Thursday, October 14, one of her many stops of her “HealNY” tour that plans to distribute $1.5 billion across New York State to combat the opioid crisis.
The money that Attorney General James delivered to Monroe County is a portion of the $53.1 million total that she plans to deliver to the Finger Lakes region of New York. At the press conference, James stated that of the $19.5 million Monroe County received, up to $14 million will go to Rochester, the county’s largest city. The money comes from a settlement stemming from a lawsuit James filed in March 2019, holding various manufacturers and distributors responsible for the opioid epidemic. Some of the most notable of these manufacturers and distributors include: Purdue Pharma, the Sackler Family, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Allergan Finance, McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc. and Rochester Drug Cooperative Inc.
“They need to be held accountable for their actions. For the past decade over three quarters of a million of our fellow Americans have died as a result of these opioids,” said James said at an Oct. 14 the press conference., “and t The bottom line is that businesses and corporations, and the Sackler family, should be held accountable for their actions.”
The large sum of money delivered to the county is planned to be spent towards efforts related to reversing the effects of the opioid crisis. James stated that intentions for utilizing the money should be spent on funds for education, prevention, and treatment.
“The hardfought opioid settlement dollars are so important and so timely, said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, “We are going to use these funds wisely and for the purpose they have been given.”
According to New York State’s Annual Opioid Report, drug overdose deaths involving opioids in 2018 totaled 2,991 people. This is not a problem limited to New York State, as opioids were involved in 46,802 overdose deaths in 2018, about 70% of all overdose deaths. Following the pandemic, the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York reported that in 2020, 2,300 people died from opioid related overdoses in New York City alone.
Attorney General Letitia James stated that despite the large sum of settlement money, the fight was far from over. Currently ongoing is a case that the state of New York filed against Teva and Allergan, alleging that the companies violated two state insurance laws by improperly marketing their opioid painkillers.
James and the state plan to continue reaching these settlements to bring more money to affected communities such as Monroe County.
“We need to provide hope and inspiration to all of those that are struggling and let them know we are here for them.”
