The Mercer County Opioid Settlement Advisory Council will host a community listening session on Thursday, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m. in Ewing Township.
The Mercer County Opioid Settlement Advisory Council was established under the 2022 Memorandum of Agreement between the State of New Jersey and local governments regarding opioid litigation recoveries.
This agreement sets the terms for how funds from national opioid litigation settlements or bankruptcy plans are distributed and spent. The council provides input, advice and recommendations to Mercer County and its municipalities on how to use these funds.
The meeting will be held at the Mercer County Office Park, located at 1440 Parkside Ave. The session will focus on the distribution of opioid settlement funds throughout Mercer County and is open to the public.
The council is responsible to the Mercer County Board of Commissioners and aims to enhance services for individuals dealing with opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD).
Through collaborative efforts with local, county, state and federal agencies, the council identifies high-priority needs and improves access to resources for at-risk populations.
At the listening session, the council will explain its purpose and how it plans to help Mercer County communities. After a brief presentation, community members will have the opportunity to provide feedback, with each comment limited to five minutes to ensure all voices are heard.
Residents are encouraged to RSVP by Jan. 15 by emailing OpioidSettlement@mercercounty.org.
For more information about the session or the council’s work, contact Jackie Cornell, Deputy Director of the Mercer County Department of Human Services, at OpioidSettlement@mercercounty.org or 609-278-4828.
