Millions of dollars to pour into Georgia to combat opioid epidemic

On Monday, grant applications will open for Georgia's $638 million settlement from opioid drugmakers.

Now, officials have to figure out how to spend all that money.

"From 2010 to 2020, Georgia's number of overdose deaths increased by 207%," said Kevin Tanner, commissioner of Georgia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

He's one of the people in charge of getting the money to communities across the state on the state's Opioid Settlement Advisory Commission. The commission's grant portal will begin accepting applications on Monday. 

The settlement, part of a national $50 billion payout from opioid drugmakers, requires the money to be spent on treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and prevention.

The commission's grant portal will begin accepting applications on Monday. 

Along Georgia's northern state line, Catoosa County Sheriff Gary Sisk said the opioid crisis has become part of his day-to-day life.

"I’ve issued Narcan to all of my officers," Sisk said. "We got some success with some recoveries, sometimes we don’t."

Sisk also sits on the advisory commission. 

Roughly three-quarters of his jail's population is locked up on opioid-related charges, he told WABE. 

Of the $638 million payout over the next 18 years, a quarter will go directly to local governments. The rest will be divvied up from the Opioid Settlement Advisory Commission between regional and statewide agencies and organizations, both in the public and private sectors. 

"I don’t think there’s anyone one way that we can tackle this problem," Sheriff Sisk said. "I think it’s going to take a lot of heads coming together."

Tanner said this year's round of grants will come out sometime later this year, possibly in the fall.  He hopes the money will result in lasting change. 

"Yes, tremendous progress has been made," Tanner said. "But we still have a long way to go."