Price County Has $624,000 in Opioid Settlement Money. A New

Last updated: May 2026

Price County Has $624,000 in Opioid Settlement Money. A New Committee Decides How to Spend It.

An ad-hoc committee held its first meeting on May 13 to allocate funds from national opioid lawsuits. But the money runs out in 2038, and the needs far outstrip the budget.

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On Tuesday, May 13, Price County’s newly formed Ad-Hoc Opioid Committee met for the first time to begin deciding how to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in opioid settlement funds. Money that came from lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies that fueled the opioid crisis in communities like ours.

The numbers are significant. Since 2022, Price County has received $247,775 in settlement payments from companies including Purdue Pharma, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and others. By 2038, the county is projected to receive a total of $624,111. After that, the money stops.

The committee, chaired by Health and Human Services Board chair Paula Hodk with vice chair Tiffany Pichek, has just five meetings to produce spending recommendations for the full county board. And the list of needs is longer than the money can stretch.

How We Got Here

The funds come from a wave of national litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Wisconsin joined multistate settlements that held companies accountable for flooding communities with prescription painkillers.

Price County didn’t receive millions like some larger counties. But the per-capita impact of the opioid crisis here has been severe. The settlement money is meant to address the damage: addiction treatment, prevention, harm reduction, and law enforcement tools.

There’s a catch, though. The funds can’t be used to supplant existing spending. If the county already pays for drug drop boxes or opioid education, it can’t redirect that existing money elsewhere and backfill it with settlement cash. Every dollar spent from this fund has to create something new.

What the Community Told the Committee

Representatives from law enforcement, healthcare, schools, children’s services, and local organizations each described how opioids have hit their corner of Price County:

Law enforcement wants a body scanner for the jail. Neighboring counties have reported inmate overdoses from drugs smuggled inside. A body scanner, estimated at roughly $150,000, could catch contraband before it enters the facility. The sheriff’s office also processes a high volume of drug evidence, and officers want safety equipment, including ventilation hoods for handling fentanyl-laden materials.

Children and family services reported that 60% of out-of-home placements (foster care, kinship care, and residential placements) are tied to parental substance use. That’s not a statistic from a report. That’s what the committee heard directly from the people handling these cases.

Healthcare providers described patients waiting 4 to 6 days in the emergency room for a placement in a treatment facility. There is no in-patient treatment center in Price County. Insurance often won’t cover the room-and-board portion of residential treatment, creating a financial barrier that keeps people from getting help.

The drug court conversation came up more

The drug court conversation came up more than once. Neighboring counties that have established drug courts, which combine supervision with treatment instead of incarceration, have seen positive results. The committee discussed whether settlement funds could help launch something similar here.

The Numbers Behind the Crisis

The committee reviewed detailed spending data:

$625 per batch of 25 drug test kits, with up to 9 tests administered per day in some periods
– 25 Narcan kits distributed in the most recent quarter alone
– $70,000 received in the first year (2022), a spike because several defendants chose to pay lump sums rather than stretch payments over 15 years
– Annual payments going forward average $30,000, $39,000, a figure that makes long-term staffing commitments risky

The declining payment structure is a key constraint. If the county hires someone with settlement money, what happens in 2038 when the money runs out? That’s the question committee members kept returning to.

What Happens Next

The committee’s five-meeting timeline looks like this:

1. Meeting 1 (May 13): Hear from each sector about how opioids have affected their work
2. Upcoming meetings: Develop specific funding proposals
3. Final meetings: Package recommendations for the Health and Human Services Board, which then sends a plan to the full county board

The committee is not the final decision-maker. It recommends. The county board decides.

Why This Matters

Six hundred twenty-four thousand dollars sounds like a lot. It’s not, not for a county where 60% of child removals involve substance use, where people wait nearly a week in the ER for a treatment bed, and where the jail needs a body scanner just to keep inmates from overdosing.

The decisions this committee makes over the next few months will shape how Price County responds to the opioid crisis for years to come. And once the settlement money runs out in 2038, the programs it funds need to have built something that lasts, or at least something that proved it was worth finding other money to continue.

The next committee meeting is open to the public. Agendas are posted at co.price.wi.us/agendacenter.

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This article is based on the official recording of the Price County Ad-Hoc Opioid Committee Meeting held on May 13, 2026, available on the Price County WI, Government YouTube channel. Meeting agendas are published at co.price.wi.us/agendacenter.

Last updated: May 14, 2026

Update, July 9, 2026: Committee Nears Recommendations as Total Reaches $250,123

The Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee held its third meeting on July 8, 2026, and the picture of how Price County will spend its opioid settlement funds is coming into focus.

Total received to date: $250,123, updated from the $247,775 reported after the first meeting. However, projected annual payments have been revised downward to $15,000–$20,000 per year through 2038 — lower than earlier estimates.

His House of Hope Returns: Mark Distin and Robert Knack from His House of Hope presented a specific funding request: $10,000 for the Genesis Process curriculum, a nationwide recovery program with measurable results. Phoenix reported 60%+ retention, Rockford IL 60% recovery and 75% retention, Salt Lake 80% recovery, and Santa Barbara 90% recovery with 60% retention. They also identified needs for a robust security system (the current one was described as “junior varsity”) and a transportation vehicle for getting residents to behavioral health appointments.

Notably, the committee learned that probation does not currently approve His House of Hope as housing — several residents weren’t approved to stay there, possibly for security-related reasons.

Preliminary Allocations: The committee identified approximately $84,000 in preliminary allocations, with roughly $19,000 remaining unallocated:

School evidence-based programs/prevention: $5,000 for speakers and assemblies
Mental health support: Sources of Strength program in schools
His House of Hope Genesis program: $10,000
Community outreach/advertising: ~$5,000 (a billboard alone runs ~$5,600/month)
Female recovery program: potential $25,000 future allocation for a female version of His House of Hope
Transportation assistance fund: for families accessing treatment

What’s Off the Table (For Now): A drug court or wellness court was explored but appears too expensive — Forest County’s program costs $295,000–$400,000 (funded through a grant plus tribal funds). A jail body scanner was discussed but deemed “really difficult to fit” into allowable opioid settlement spending categories.

What’s Next: The committee’s next meeting is August 12, 2026, at noon, where they plan to finalize recommendations. Those recommendations then go to the HHS Board for review, and finally to the full County Board for approval. Funds can be set aside for multi-year use — for example, a $20,000 scholarship fund lasting three years.

Reported from the July 8, 2026 Opioid Ad-Hoc Committee meeting and HHS Board meeting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When does the Price County Board of Supervisors meet?

The Price County Board of Supervisors meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Price County Courthouse in Phillips. Agendas are posted at co.price.wi.us. Meetings are open to the public per Wisconsin open meetings law.

How do I contact Price County government offices?

The Price County Courthouse is at 104 S. Eyder Avenue in Phillips, WI 54555. The main phone number is (715) 339-2300. Individual department contacts are available on the Price County website at co.price.wi.us.

Where can I find Price County meeting agendas and minutes?

Meeting agendas, minutes, and schedules are posted on the Price County website at co.price.wi.us/agendacenter. Agendas are typically posted at least 24 hours before meetings per Wisconsin open meetings law.

What services does the Price County Sheriff’s Office provide?

The Price County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement, dispatch, jail operations, and civil process services. The office is located at the Price County Courthouse in Phillips and can be reached for non-emergencies at (715) 339-3614.

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