DOVER — State Auditor Lydia York and her office have published an online interactive tracker that outlines how Delaware’s opioid settlement funding is being distributed to nonprofits fighting the ongoing crisis.
The tracker, formally published Aug. 14, includes the total funds awarded and the monies distributed to each organization since the grants were approved by Delaware’s Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission and Behavioral Health Consortium.
“Our office is committed to increasing transparency across all of Delaware’s State government,” Ms. York said in a statement. “This tracker is an example of my staff finding an innovative way to achieve that goal. Thank you to the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission for working with our office to release this important tool to the public.”
The launch of the technology is amid ongoing audits of 11 nonprofits that have been approved for and received money from the $250 million settlement, secured by the attorney general’s office in December 2022 as a result of pharmaceutical companies’ role in the opioid emergency.
It also comes as a criminal investigation is underway into Code Purple Kent County, which was referred to the Department of Justice by Ms. York’s office after auditors “encountered significant challenges in establishing trust regarding the accuracy and authenticity of the documents” provided by the organization.
That case is being reviewed by the Department of Justice’s White Collar Crime Unit and Civil Division, and the agency is attempting to determine whether the settlement distribution commission can “claw back” funds that were appropriated to Code Purple.
The nonprofit was approved for a $570,000 grant and received $290,000 for specific initiatives to combat the opioid crisis in August 2023. However, since questions arose regarding its grant agreement, $280,000 was frozen in December of last year.
Thus far, Delaware has received nearly $64 million of its $250 million opioid settlement, according to the tracker.
With the work of the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission and the Behavioral Health Consortium, just over $13 million in grants has been approved for nonprofits, with $9.5 million distributed.
On June 28, as the state continued to review Code Purple’s handling of its award, Ms. Jennings — who co-chairs the commission along with Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long — urged its members to halt approval and distribution of new funding.
This was to allow for a consultant, Social Contract, to develop recommendations on how Delaware can maximize its opioid settlement funds — a report due in September.
Meanwhile, the Behavioral Health Consortium approved $1.9 million in bridge funding July 16, part of roughly $15 million unanimously approved by the distribution commission in May.
According to Ms. York, the audits of the 11 nonprofits’ grant funding will be completed sometime this fall. She added that the examinations are not due to suspected abuse but because of the size of the grants awarded.
For a look at the tracker, visit auditor.delaware.gov .
Most Popular
Comments / 0