Henderson receives $25K from Kroger opioid lawsuit
Henderson will receive a portion of a $1.4 billion settlement in a lawsuit against Kroger Co. for the role it played in the opioid crisis.
The Henderson City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously — with the exception of Councilman Dan Stewart who was was not present — to receive over $25,000 from the settlement.
In Clark County, about 10.3 per 100,000 people were hospitalized with opioid overdoses (excluding heroin) in 2018.
From 2018-2020, about 21.6 per 100,000 people had drug and opioid-involved overdose-related deaths in Clark County.
“It affects Henderson, in similar ways as it does the nation, but it really runs the gamut in terms of who is affected by the crisis,” said Lisa Corrado, director of community development and services.
Corrado said that everyone is affected, listing Henderson’s youth, seniors, those coming out of surgery and people who may experiment with substances and come across fentanyl lacing.
“It’s a crisis everywhere, right? It’s not just in Henderson, but we are feeling those impacts as well. We’re using that money to help fund outreach programs that address problems with drug use,” said Mayor Michele Romero.
The money will go toward Henderson’s opioid spending plan, which includes Henderson’s Risk It All With Fentanyl, the city said.
Risk It All With Fentanyl is an awareness campaign targeting Henderson youth. The campaign provides information about harm reduction, fentanyl risks and how to use Narcan.
“It’s saving kids lives,” Corrado said.
In 2022, there were about 10 youth overdoses, but now number has dropped to zero for 2023, she said.
A total of 33 states were eligible to receive a portion from the settlement, and Nevada received approximately 2.23 percent.
As part of the settlement, Kroger Co. did not admit liability nor wrongdoing, but the company agreed to change business practices such as marketing and catching opioid over-prescribing.
To seek help, the National Substance Abuse Hotline is 988 and is available 24 hours a day.
Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.
