The Lake County Board of Commissioners is seeking proposals from local organizations to spend nearly $2 million in its first distribution of funding from the state in opioid lawsuit settlements.

Indiana was devastated by the opioid epidemic, according to a release from the Indiana Attorney General’s Office. From 2012 through 2016, there were 58 counties where opioid prescription rates were greater than 100 prescriptions per 100 residents, according to the release.

The state has received about $925 million from various pharmaceutical companies in settlements from lawsuits addressing the opioid crisis, according to the attorney general’s release.

Indiana received $508 million from the $26 billion national settlement with Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson; $59.4 million from the $3.1 billion national settlement with Walmart; $219 million in an agreement with CVS and Walgreens; $128 million from the $5.27 billion agreement with Allergan and Teva and $7.6 million from the $350 million national settlement with Publicis, according to the attorney general’s release.

Lake County has received $1.6 million in restricted funds and $380,000 in unrestricted funds from the state’s opioid settlement funds, said Lake County Board of Commissioners attorney Matt Fech.

The board will likely award 20 grants, with individual awards of up to $25,000, according to a release from the Lake County Board of Commissioners.

“The point of it all is to positively impact those who were negatively impacted by the opioid crisis,” said Commissioner Michael Repay, D-Hammond.

The commissioners are seeking proposals from organizations “that can deliver innovative, evidence-based approaches to addressing substance use” in Lake County. The funds will go toward projects that address treatment, prevention, recovery support and harm reduction, according to the county release.

Additionally, the funds can go toward projects that create or expand community-based efforts to support prevention, education and harm reduction; support initiatives that reduce substance use-related stigma; expand access to testing and treatment for infectious diseases; fund media campaigns to prevent substance misuse; educate the community on safe drug disposal; fund community anti-drug coalitions; create or expand support for children and families impacted by substance use; increase naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, distribution, training and availability throughout the community and expand, improve or develop data-tracking software applications, according to the release.

The commissioners will consider alignment with those objectives, clarity and feasibility, use of evidence-based strategies, measurable outcomes, budget appropriateness and sustainability, and implementation timeline, according to the release.

The project proposals have to be submitted from non-profit and for-profit community-based organizations that operate within Lake County and should be designed to be completed within 12 months, according to the release.

“I think what we want to do more than anything is put fuel on the fire of something that’s not getting the attention of big donors but doing big work,” Repay said.

The proposals should be handed in to the Lake County Auditor’s Office in the Lake County Government Center, 2293 N. Main Street, in Crown Point by 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 2., Fech said.

akukulka@post-trib.com