Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opioid Settlement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Porter County awards $125,000 in opioid settlement funds to five local recovery and prevention programs
Summary
The Porter County Board of Commissioners approved distribution of $125,000 from opioid settlement funds to five local organizations for prevention, recovery services and sober‑living repairs; per‑recipient amounts were not specified in the meeting record.
Porter County commissioners on March 11 approved distributing $125,000 in opioid settlement funds to five local organizations, county staff said during a brief presentation at the start of the meeting.
Megan Wyshinsky, the county’s nominated president of the opioid settlement awards committee, told the board the county calculated the recommended distribution by dividing the county’s anticipated settlement receipts through 2038 into a 14‑year allotment and identifying up to five recipients for this round. The committee recommended five organizations for awards this cycle; the agenda and presenters did not list per‑recipient dollar amounts.
The recipients scheduled to receive awards, and the brief uses they described to the commissioners, were:
- Doonland School Corporation (Chelsea Bramfeld, Student Support Services Coordinator): funding for school‑based prevention and education, student mental‑health supports and a diversion program for students affected by substance misuse.
- The Caring Place (Jessica Luth): expanded women’s recovery services, transportation, group services and aftercare/continuum‑of‑care supports.
- Portage Recovery Association (Jake Manhoo, president): support for a new 15,000‑square‑foot facility in Portage, a resource area for employment help, a library, fitness space and other free wellness supports.
- 320 Recovery (Alan Gresula, executive director): expansion of multiple recovery pathways including art, music, fitness, faith and the "brain paint" program, with services offered at no cost to participants.
- Maureen House (application noted): requested funds for house repairs and remodeling for sober living (committee summary indicated an award recommendation; a representative was not quoted on the record).
Wyshinsky told the board the county received applications from 10 organizations, invited seven to present, and limited awards to a maximum of five recipients to reduce administrative burden. She said the committee includes one commissioner, two county council members and two citizen appointments and that the committee followed a reimbursement process with the auditor’s office; organizations must submit documentation to be reimbursed, Wyshinsky said.
Commissioners moved and approved the awards on a unanimous voice vote. The recipients will also appear before the county council at the end of the month for the council’s formal action on the awards, Wyshinsky said.
Why it matters: the settlement funds stem from litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers; the county is managing the receipts as a multi‑year stream through 2038 and is using a committee process to allocate annualized amounts to local prevention and recovery efforts. The recipients described uses aimed at prevention in schools, expanded recovery services and improvements to sober‑living housing.
Ending: County staff said the awardees will follow the county’s reimbursement process and will present the same summaries to the county council later in the month. The meeting record did not list recipient dollar amounts or a detailed grant agreement; those details will be on file with the county council agenda and the auditor’s reimbursement records.
