- According to leaders at the Ingham County Jail, the folks coming in dependent on drugs or alcohol has increased.
- Ingham County Board of Commissioners met Friday morning to discuss more on the settlement.
- Video shows what the money will be used for at the Ingham County Sheriff's office.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Nine organizations in Ingham County received funding from an opioid settlement. I'm your Mason neighborhood reporter, Sarah Poulos, at the Ingham County Jail, breaking down what it means for taxpayer dollars.
"I've been doing this for 25 years now," said Capt. Robert Earle, jail administrator at the Ingham County Sheriff's Office, who spends every day walking the halls of the facility.
"The amount of folks coming in now dependent on drugs or alcohol has certainly increased a lot," Earle said.
Since 2019, the jail has administered medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, for those with addictions.
"We're moving folks over from an oral medication to now an injectable medication," Earle said.
He said they will be able to make this switch using money from the opioid settlement, meaning the transition will not cost taxpayers.
"We're looking at a half million dollars that would otherwise be added to the taxpayers' bill," Earle said.
Earlier Friday morning, I attended the Ingham County Board of Commissioners meeting to hear what’s next.
"We're expected to get $14 million over an 18-year time span," a board representative said.
Earle said his hope for the next 18 years is clear.
"Our hope is, especially with the MAT opioid settlement money, we'll be able to help more folks than we do right now," he said.
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