Chester County will receive part of the more than $1 billion settlement between Pennsylvania and three major pharmaceutical distributors regarding their roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic, writes John McDevitt for KYW Newsradio. 

All 67 counties are eligible for part of the settlement. The factors that will determine how the settlement will be spread include overdose deaths, hospitalizations due to opioid use disorder, naloxone administration, and the percentage of opioid shipments. 

In total, around $375 million will be distributed to Philadelphia and its surrounding counties. Chester County will receive about $20 million. The payments will be spread over 18 years. 

The money from the settlement will go toward opioid remediation programs and initiatives. 

“Opioid abuse has stolen lives,” said Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. “There is no amount of money that can ever account for the lives that opioids have taken and ruined, but we can use these settlement funds to educate residents” with the primary focus being on prevention and recovery. 

Read more about the Chester County opioid settlement at KYW Newsradio.