Eau Claire County Receives New Opioid Settlement Funding

Eau Claire County has received roughly double the award that it received last year through opioid settlement funding distribution.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services recently announced a total of $21 million in opioid settlement fund distribution from October to December. It’s the largest amount distributed in a single quarterly period since the state began receiving the settlement funds in 2022. According to a WQOW report, the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office has received an award of over $650,000, a major increase from the roughly $350,000 it received the year prior.

Sheriff Dave Riewestahl says the funding will be used for a community drug disposal program, a deflection program, and medical assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals. The Eau Claire Department of Human Services also received an award of up to $62,000 for treatment facilities.

Tackling the opioid epidemic has been a major project for municipalities across the state and country in recent years. In May, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department launched an opioid data dashboard to track overdose incidents and update harm reduction and prevention strategies accordingly.

Local governments across the region have also been expanding access to things like harm reduction vending machines, which provide residents with essential items like Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and medication disposal bags. Chippewa County Public Health also recently announced that overdose aid kits would be placed in all public schools in the county this year.

In the press release, the Department of Health Services also noted that Wisconsin is due to receive over $150 million more in settlement funds through the year 2038. The agency is asking residents for input on how best to use the expected funding for 2026 with an online survey.