Group makes first funding award to combat opioid epidemic

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky commission assigned to distribute money from a massive settlement with opioid companies has made its first funding award. The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission has awarded $10.5 million to a pilot treatment program. State Attorney General Daniel Cameron made the announcement Tuesday. The pilot program will offer behavioral health treatment options for people struggling with substance use disorder as an alternative to incarceration. The commission oversees the state’s portion of funds stemming from nationwide settlements with several companies for their roles in the opioid addiction crisis. Kentucky will receive hundreds of millions of dollars.