The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission voted last week to adopt a new set of principles to guide the group’s decision-making process when it comes to doling out the state’s portion of settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.
The commission adopted five principles put forth by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
They include spending the money to save lives, using evidence to guide spending, investing in youth prevention, focusing on racial equity and developing a fair and transparent process for deciding where to spend the state’s portion of approximately $900 million dollars.
Kentucky Health News also reports that grant applications moving forward will be split into two categories — treatment and recovery or prevention — so that grant applicants better understand the process.
Since the commission's formation in 2021, the state has awarded 110 grants worth more than $55 million dollars.
