LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city of Louisville will use its first portion of $57 million in opioid settlement funds to promote harm reduction and long-term recovery, Mayor Craig Greenberg announced Thursday.

Greenberg was joined by public health leaders and harm reduction experts Thursday as he unveiled plans for $7 million in settlement funds. Jefferson County will receive a total of $57 million over the 18-year lifespan of the settlements.

“Our community has lost too many loved ones, friends and neighbors to opioid overdoses," Greenberg said. “This money will not bring those community members back, but we are working to make sure these funds help us heal by doing everything we can to prevent more tragedies.”   

The first distribution, rolling out later this summer and into the fall, target harm reduction and long term recovery.

More than $1.5 million will be allocated to organizations working in harm reduction and provide outreach, education, overdose prevention, Narcan distribution and screening for HIV and hepatitis C, with a goal of expanding outreach and services to underserved populations. These include:

• Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition will expand outreach to the Latino community and residents in West Louisville.
• University of Kentucky Target 4 Region 5 will establish a fixed location to expand outreach in West Louisville.
• Feed Louisville will expand outreach efforts to promote harm reduction within Louisville’s homeless population.
• LMPHW will extend the community supply of the lifesaving drug naloxone (Narcan) and overdose prevention training to people in ZIP codes most affected by the opioid epidemic

Additionally, over $250,000 will be invested in collaborative projects supporting transformative change throughout the community and address underlying root causes of substance abuse disorder. 

The remaining $5.3 million will be awarded through a public application process expected to launch in the fall, Greenberg explained. Funds will be awarded to applicants who submit "competitive proposals that align with the approved uses of the settlement."

"Louisville Metro Government will look for plans that are evidence-based and address community needs and will be prioritized for strategies to prevent future substance use by youth and individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and strategies to promote long-term recovery," Greenberg said.

The funds stem from companies that distributed, dispensed, manufactured and sold opioid painkillers and failed to monitor or report suspicious shipments, which led to substance use disorders and thousands of deaths. Those companies include CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva and Allergan.

Louisville Metro is one of thousands of local governments across the nation receiving settlements from the companies that helped fuel the opioid epidemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Louisville's funds are separate from the state’s share of settlements.