Lackawanna County opioid settlement committee eyes projects

Terrie Morgan-Besecker, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

May 21—SCRANTON — A committee considering how to spend Lackawanna County's share of the national opioid settlement expressed support for a novel program that would provide home-based substance abuse, mental health and life skills training to people in recovery.

The program, known as Families Actively Improving Relationships, or FAIR, originated in Oregon. It has shown promise in reducing substance abuse relapses that often exacerbate family dysfunction, William Browning, director of the county's Department and Health and Human Services, told fellow committee members at their recent monthly meeting.

The committee also discussed proposals to address housing insecurity and a plan to transform the former Dr. Peter M. Mensky Vocational-Technical School in Mayfield into a dormlike facility that would provide mental health, substance abuse, and job and life skills training to participants who would live on site while undergoing treatment.

Formed in March, the 11-member committee must decide how to spend $9.7 million the county will receive over the next 18 years from the national settlement reached with manufacturers and distributors of opioid-based drugs. The county also expects to receive an additional $7.9 million from a separate settlement with three pharmacy chains and two additional manufacturers.

So far, the county has received $1.25 million of the distributors' portion. Committee members stressed initial proposals for how to spend the funds are preliminary and no funding has been earmarked or spent.

The primary focus now is to identify the most pressing needs and to ensure settlement funds are spent on projects that are not covered by other grants, said Barbara Durkin, director of the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Browning said the proposed FAIR program would be offered through an agreement with the Friendship House, which would employ counselors to provide services at its facility as well as in-home services.

"This program provides a one-stop shop," Browning said after the meeting. "The program also teaches life skills that go beyond treatment. ... That's something that's almost never included in the treatment process."

The plan to transform the Mensky building into a treatment center is still in the very early stages. Officials are looking at various funding sources. It's not clear yet whether the committee could use settlement money for the project, Durkin said.

Durkin said a trust set up to oversee distribution of settlement funds requires counties spend their yearly allotments within 18 months of receiving the money. Renovations to the center would likely take more than 18 months, so the committee would have to seek an extension from the trust.

"We're already kind of behind the eight ball here," Durkin said after the meeting. "All counties are. It's not just us. It's going to be challenging to spend the money in time."

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137;

@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter.