Luzerne County obtains clearance for opioid allocation

Luzerne County obtained authorization to proceed with a past opioid litigation settlement award for a new Wilkes-Barre detoxification and residential treatment facility, county Manager Romilda Crocamo told council Monday.

The $581,037 award to Always Believe Recovery was provided to help fund start-up costs for its detoxification and treatment facility on Courtright Avenue in Wilkes-Barre. Council voted in May to acknowledge the opioid fund recipient’s name change to True North Recovery of NEPA.

Civil legal action was subsequently filed among parties involved in Always Believe/True North related to entity ownership and other allegations.

Crocamo said she notified the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust of the legal filings to ensure there were no issues with the county’s release of the funds. State court established this trust to approve county projects and oversee compliance of opioid litigation settlement funds.

According to Crocamo’s Monday communication, three county administrators — Human Services Division Head Megan Stone, acting Drug and Alcohol Administrator Michael Gagliardi and Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene — had a detailed discussion with trust representatives Briana Anderson and Jordan Yeagley that included the topic of the legal filings involving Always Believe/True North.

Crocamo said the trust representatives agreed with Skene’s assessment that:

• The legal matter appears to be a dispute between parties involved in a business transaction.

• There was a change in the individuals associated with the project, but the project itself has not changed.

• A litigation complainant could receive 20% of the business if successful in the litigation, but this does not affect the opioid trust funds.

“Funds remain committed to the program as the project is unchanged, and the commitment is still considered valid,” Crocamo wrote. “We will continue to monitor this situation closely and provide updates as necessary.”

Crocamo added that the state trust approved the project along with others at its June 5 board meeting.

Council had authorized the earmark to Always Believe in December.

Its application said the new detoxification and residential treatment facility was in development at 300 Courtright Ave. under the leadership of a team with decades of experience in the field — Nick Colangelo, Cindy Bellino and Larry Moran.

While it is designed to treat various forms of substance use disorder, the center will have a “hard focus on addressing the ongoing opioid crisis, particularly the fentanyl epidemic,” in the county and region, the submission said.

In addition to 60 inpatient treatment beds, the center will house 40 detox beds specifically designed to provide medical supervision for opioid withdrawal, which is physically challenging. Inpatient care will include access to medication-assisted treatment and evidence-based therapies, it said.

The center also plans ancillary community services, including education and prevention programs.

For long-term sustainability, the center will rely on a combination of private insurance, Medicaid reimbursements, state and federal grants and private donations, it said.

Figures indicate the county should receive approximately $30 million over 18 years from the state’s settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors. The county’s Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement makes recommendations to county council on how to spend the funds.

Most recently, council voted in June to earmark $1.5 million in opioid settlement funds to cover medication-assisted treatment for inmates with opioid use disorder in the county prison system.