FOND DU LAC COUNTY (NBC 26) — Fond du Lac County is addressing the ongoing opioid crisis with $1.7 million from national lawsuit settlements with pharmaceutical companies.
The county will create two new positions aimed at helping people experiencing addiction and investigating drug crimes respectively.
According to the National Association of Attorneys General, settlements have been reached with several major pharmaceutical companies that were sued by states for contributing to the opioid crisis.
Fond du Lac County Executive Sam Kaufman said it's an issue not only nationally, but also faced by neighbors right here in Fond du Lac County.
"The opioid issue, with regard to addictions, is growing," Kaufman said.
Now, with the influx of settlement funds, Kaufman said the county plans to create two jobs: a peer recovery specialist and an opioid investigator.
Kaufman said the peer recovery specialist will work in the with people receiving addiction treatment in the county.
Watch: Fond du Lac County to use opioid funds for new positions
"Now we've got somebody to help you walk through this, that can help you walk every step to accomplish your goals, to get off this addiction and to move on and be successful in life," Kaufman said.
According to data from the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, deputies seized 3,214 grams of fentanyl in 2023, and that's going up. So far in 2024, the Sheriff’s Office has already seized 9,431 grams of the drug.
"It really was non-existent as an issue in our community and really across the country, for many years until the last, you know, it really ramped up three, four years," said Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt. "And it's crushed resources."
The opioid investigator will be a detective in the sheriff’s department, focusing solely on investigating opioid-related cases.
"In addition to that, there's an educational piece, informing the public, informing students at schools of all the dangers," Waldschmidt said.
Kaufman said with current settlement funds, they can finance both positions for five years without using tax dollars; but Kaufman said the county may receive more settlement funds in the future to finance the roles.
The peer support specialist position was approved by the county board in their last meeting.
And the opioid investigator position was approved by a public safety committee Tuesday, and will come before the full board in their Dec. 17 meeting.
Both positions would begin in 2025.
