KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Kent County has postponed their vote to approve the plan for the first two years of opioid settlement spending.
Last month, both the Kent County Health Department and Board of Commissioners told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that they planned to vote on the plan at a meeting on May 21.
However, that meeting was canceled at the last minute.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to Deputy County Administrator Jenny James about the cancelation.
She responded and said it was postponed due to a new opportunity to get feedback from the Lakeshore Regional Entity.
"The LRE’s Oversight Policy Board sets policy for the region on co-occurring mental/behavioral health and substance abuse services, so having their feedback to share with the Board of Commissioners is valuable," James said in an email to 13 ON YOUR SIDE. "I’m so very anxious to get the Board’s approval so we can start spending the funds and at the same time want to make space for partner entities to weigh in."
While they don't have a date for a new meeting yet, she said she expects to have one next week.
Local opioid experts have criticized the county over concerns of transparency and taking too long to utilize funds.
In an interview in April, James explained why this process takes so long.
"This is just one thing that Kent County Health Department and other departments are working on at any one time. So while it seems like it does take some time, we first want to be very thoughtful and engage our partners proactively," James said. "It's just a matter of balancing it with a lot of other needs that the departments are managing."
So far, the account has over $1.6 million. Eventually, Kent County will receive more than $18 million in total.
The money originates from a series of settlements after Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition with other states against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and pharmaceutical Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen.
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