La Crosse County has developed a 10-year plan to guide the use of $7.6 million in opioid settlement funds. The strategy focuses on three key areas: the justice system, child welfare, and community treatment.

Year 1 proposal: $689,000 to fund—

--Justice System: Re-entry support, medication-assisted treatment in the jail, and regular inmate screenings.

--Community Treatment: Narcan and test strips, expanded residential and recovery housing, and better provider coordination.

--Child Welfare: Expanded home visiting, support development of four new sober living beds for mothers, and housing support to keep families together.

Why It Matters: The plan aims to reduce jail admissions, cut child welfare placements, and expand treatment access. The cost of doing nothing is high—youth placements can cost up to $225,000 per year, and substance use is linked to up to 50% of child welfare cases and 20% of the unsheltered population.

The funds come from national opioid settlements with manufacturers and distributors, secured to offset the harms of the opioid crisis. To date, the County has received about $2.4 million, with more to come in future years.

View the full County Board presentation on the plan here.