By Charles Young, The Exponent Telegram
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State residents will soon be able to track opioid settlement funds through a portal on the fiscal transparency site maintained by the state Auditor’s Office.
The West Virginia Checkbook plans to launch an Opioid Settlement Transparency page where it will provide “transaction-level revenues and expenses for each of the settlement amounts.”
The site will include information about the finances of the West Virginia First Foundation. The foundation is the private, Section 501©(3) organization that controls more than 70% of funds the state has received from its legal challenges against pharmacies, pharmaceutical distributors and pharmaceutical manufacturers for their roles in the opioid epidemic.
“We are happy to engage with any and all,” said First Foundation Executive Director Jonathan Board.
The portal will also have information on settlement funds distributed to county and municipal governments, Board said.
“We have 55 counties and 232 municipalities across this state,” he said.
“And as they receive those funds, giving them a meaningful way to engage with the public and be really open and transparent is just a beautiful thing. We’re very thankful that such opportunities exist,” he said.
