Suffolk County has begun distributing $25 million to drug treatment and prevention centers. The money comes from the lawsuit settlement of opioid manufacturers and distributors.
The county is expected to receive $200 million over the next 20 years.
County Executive Steve Bellone said they received grant proposals from more than 100 treatment and prevention centers. The review committee approved 37 applications to receive three-year grants of varying sizes.
“We are dedicated to the idea that these funds will go towards helping those individuals and families who have suffered, that these funds will go towards ending the opioid epidemic once and for all, every single dollar,” Bellone said. “That is our commitment.”
$11 million will also be distributed to Catholic Health’s St. Charles Hospital, Northwell’s John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, Phoenix Houses of Long Island, and the Town of Babylon’s Beacon Family Wellness Center for capital projects.
Bellone estimates the opioid epidemic has been responsible for thousands of deaths on Long Island since the 90s.
