In 2021, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office joined a $26 billion multi-state settlement with pharmaceutical distributors McKeson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen and opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. This settlement will bring around $300 million to Minnesota over the next 18 years to be used to fight the opioid crisis. 75% of these funds will be allocated to counties and cities and 25% will be allocated to the State of Minnesota.

Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that directs how the state will spend the opioid lawsuit settlement dollars. To determine how to prioritize the use of these funds, the Clearwater County Board of Commissioners has established a steering committee to ensure community involvement. This committee serves to prioritize the use of settlement funds with the purpose to advise and offer guidance on directing settlement funds across broad categories, which include prevention, criminal justice, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction. The steering committee includes but is not limited to citizens with professional or lived experiences, county staff, and city staff.

Clearwater County Opioid Settlement Steering Committee members include:  Lisa Syverson, Allen Paulson, Bruce Emmel, Jamie Halverson, Karin Hughes, Darin Halverson, Logan LeClair, Adam Gunderson, Ryan Grow, Belinda Schermerhorn, Trisha Hansen, Duane Lewis, and Terri Buscher.

If you are interested in participating in the Steering Committee please contact Lisa Syverson, Director of Clearwater County Public Health at (218) 694-6581.

For more information on the litigation and the Opioid Settlement for the State of Minnesota, visit the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office website - Fighting the Opioid Epidemic in Minnesota

Opioid Data

The Minnesota Department of Health maintains a dashboard regarding opioid data for the State of Minnesota. This dashboard contains detailed information on overdose deaths, nonfatal overdoses, opioid-related hospital visits, and much more information.

State of Minnesota Opioid Data

Minnesota Opioid Settlement Memorandum of Agreement

Specific categories for use of the Opioid Settlement dollars are laid out in the Memorandum of Agreement for the use of Opioid Settlement dollars in Minnesota.

Minnesota Opioids State-Subdivision Memorandum of Agreement