OCONTO COUNTY – Federal funding has been recently allocated to additional local organizations since the Oconto County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution in 2017 to join hundreds of governmental entities across the country in a class action lawsuit against opioid companies.
This lawsuit against the companies that manufactured, distributed and retailed opioids has proven successful, with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services sharing that, “Wisconsin is due to receive more than $794 million in total funding from 2022 through 2038 as a result of litigation against the pharmaceutical industry.”
The 87 local governments that participated in the litigation will share 70% of the funds while the state will receive 30%.
“Oconto County was awarded over $1.4 million [through 2038] to be used to combat the use of opioids and its impact on communities through treatment, prevention, education, support and training,” a press release from the Oconto County Health and Human Services department explained.
In order to allocate these funds towards the purposes outlined in the settlement, the county board formed the Oconto County Opioid Abatement Ad-Hoc Steering Committee. This committee is made up of individuals with backgrounds in law enforcement, education, social work, counseling public health and elected officials that have been meeting on a monthly basis since Dec. 2024.
“The committee created a formal application process that every entity — public, including county departments, private and non-profit — needs to complete and submit to the committee for their review and approval. The applicant must address one of the five uses of the funding — treatment, prevention, education, support and training.”
Over the past year, the committee has awarded $412,849 in grant funding to 16 of the 17 applicants. Services and programs approved later in 2025 had funding extend into 2026, Heath added.
A majority of the funding went to local schools for educational services and events.
The Oconto Unified School District (OUSD) received $12,100 and $14,295 for two different guest speakers to come to all five county school districts and speak about their own experiences with addiction, incarceration and recovery. An additional $40,000 was directed to the district this semester for an after school club.
Additionally, the Cooperative Extension Service Agency (CESA 8) was awarded $25,000 to produce and distribute five educational videos during this academic year.
The Oconto County Sheriff’s Office and the jail division also received multiple grant awards.
“Changing Course is an interactive journal designed specifically for those incarcerated in a local correctional setting who have been screened or identified as having a potential substance use disorder. The primary emphasis of the journal is to help inmates make the connection between their substance use and criminal activity,” a program profile from the National Institute of Justice stated.
The jail was also awarded $20,400 for incarcerated individuals being treated with Vivitrol, an injectable medication that treats alcohol and opioid dependence by blocking receptors in the brain.
The sheriff’s office received $90,000 for a five-year contract beginning in 2026 for Flock License Plate Readers.
The remainder of the funding was awarded to local service providers, with Unity Recovery Services receiving a total of $75,000 between 2025 - 2026. Oconto County Health and Human Services received $6,806.84 last year for portable Narcan dispensers and $45,000 between 2025 - 2026 for family services like transportation, treatment, childcare and drug screening.
For more information about how funding has been awarded or to apply for funding, email opioid.taskforce@ocontocountywi.gov and a committee member will be in contact.
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