Kermit, tabbed the epicenter of the opioid crisis, recently received its first installment of settlement funds from the state’s massive legal agreements with opioid manufacturers, distributors and prescribers. The sum, a mere $20,000, is half of a 15-year settlement plan totaling $40,000.
This amount, broken down to an annual sum of $1,200 for the next 14 years, is alarmingly disproportionate when one considers the devastating impact the opioid epidemic has had on this West Virginia town.
Kermit Council members have rightly voiced their disappointment and frustration. Councilman Tammy Preece Hodge’s observation that Kermit has been “hit the hardest of anybody and [gets] the least of anyone” and Councilman J.W. Endicott’s remark that Kermit was “the tip of the spear” in the opioid lawsuit encapsulate the town’s predicament. It is a sentiment echoed across the community and one that raises serious questions about the fairness and rationale behind the settlement distribution.
This allocation, determined largely by population, severely disadvantages Kermit.
While seemingly equitable on paper, this formula ignores the disproportionate impact the crisis has had on this small town.
The town, with a dwindling population now standing at 286, has been allocated the lowest per capita funding— approximately $70.06—among its Mingo County peers despite being one of the hardest hit by the crisis.
For perspective, towns like Gilbert and Matewan, with slightly larger populations, received significantly higher per capita funding of approximately $160.41 and $129.95, respectively. Even Williamson, with a population nearly 10 times that of Kermit, received a higher per capita allocation.
The logic behind this distribution appears fundamentally flawed. It fails to account for the severity of the impact on Kermit, which has been a focal point in the opioid saga.
When a town becomes a symbol of a national crisis, as Kermit has, the scale of suffering cannot and should not be measured merely by its population size.
Kermit’s plight in the opioid epidemic is not just a number. It is a harrowing story of a community inundated with nearly 9 million pain pills to a single pharmacy in just two years, as reported by the Charleston Gazette-Mail. It is a narrative of a town that, according to The Washington Post, was part of a county that received over 48 million prescription pain pills in a 13-year span.
These figures are not just statistics; they represent lives upended, families torn apart and a community struggling to rebuild itself from the ravages of opioid addiction.
The settlement money was meant to aid in this recovery, to provide resources for healing and rebuilding. Yet, the current distribution method seems to gloss over these human aspects, opting for a cold, numerical approach that leaves Kermit woefully shortchanged.
This settlement allocation is not just an issue of finance but a matter of justice and moral responsibility. We urge county and state officials, along with legal counsel, to revisit the distribution formula and consider a more nuanced, empathetic approach that acknowledges the depth of suffering and the dire need for support in Kermit.
Rectify this oversight and provide Kermit with the means to heal and move forward from a crisis that has left its mark on the town’s history and people.